Type
ArticleAuthors
Marini, Monica
Falqui, Andrea

Moretti, Manola
Limongi, Tania
Allione, Marco

Genovese, Alessandro
Lopatin, Sergei

Tirinato, Luca

Das, Gobind

Torre, Bruno
Giugni, Andrea
Gentile, Francesco
Candeloro, Patrizio

Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.

KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionBioscience Program
Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division
Electron Microscopy
Imaging and Characterization Core Lab
Material Science and Engineering Program
NABLA Lab
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
SMILEs Lab
Date
2015-08-28Online Publication Date
2015-08-28Print Publication Date
2015-08-28Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/576450
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The structure of DNA was determined in 1953 by x-ray fiber diffraction. Several attempts have been made to obtain a direct image of DNA with alternative techniques. The direct image is intended to allow a quantitative evaluation of all relevant characteristic lengths present in a molecule. A direct image of DNA, which is different from diffraction in the reciprocal space, is difficult to obtain for two main reasons: the intrinsic very low contrast of the elements that form the molecule and the difficulty of preparing the sample while preserving its pristine shape and size. We show that through a preparation procedure compatible with the DNA physiological conditions, a direct image of a single suspended DNA molecule can be obtained. In the image, all relevant lengths of A-form DNA are measurable. A high-resolution transmission electron microscope that operates at 80 keV with an ultimate resolution of 1.5 Å was used for this experiment. Direct imaging of a single molecule can be used as a method to address biological problems that require knowledge at the single-molecule level, given that the average information obtained by x-ray diffraction of crystals or fibers is not sufficient for detailed structure determination, or when crystals cannot be obtained from biological molecules or are not sufficient in understanding multiple protein configurations.Citation
The structure of DNA by direct imaging 2015, 1 (7):e1500734 Science AdvancesJournal
Science AdvancesPubMed ID
26601243Additional Links
http://advances.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1500734ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1126/sciadv.1500734
Scopus Count
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Articles; Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division; Bioscience Program; Imaging and Characterization Core Lab; Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; Material Science and Engineering Program; Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) DivisionRelated articles
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