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Molecular structure of DNA by scanning tunneling microscopy
A Cricenti1, S Selci, A C Felici
1Instituto di Struttura della Materia del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Frascati, Italy.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 15, 1989
Abstract:
Uncoated DNA molecules marked with an activated tris(l-aziridinyl) phosphine oxide (TAPO) solution were deposited on gold substrates and imaged in air with the use of a high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Constant-current and gap-modulated STM images show clear evidence of the helicity of the DNA structure: pitch periodicity ranges from 25 to 35 angstroms, whereas the average diameter is 20 angstroms. Molecular structure within a single helix turn was also observed.