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[Visualization of the cruciform structure of superhelical DNA by use of atomic force microscopy]
1Mechnikov Research Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, ul. Pushkinskaya 14, Kharkov, 61057 Ukraine.
Biofizika
|January 13, 2001
Abstract:
Atomic force microscopy was used to visualize the cruciform structure in supercoiled plasmid pUC8 DNA immobilized on aminomodified mica. The cruciform hairpin was 14 base pairs in size, as determined from atomic force microscopy images of pUC8 DNA in air. Molecular modeling confirmed that the cruciform structure is formed by hairpins with self-complementary homopyrimidine-homopurine sequences (dT)8(dA)6 and a loop 4 nucleotides long.