Multifrequency Force Microscopy of Helical Protein Assembly on a Virus.

ABSTRACT: High-resolution microscopy techniques have been extensively used to investigate the structure of soft, biological matter at the nanoscale, from very thin membranes to small objects, like viruses. Electron microscopy techniques allow for obtaining extraordinary resolution by averaging signals from multiple identical structures. In contrast, atomic force microscopy (AFM) collects data from single entities. Here, it is possible to finely modulate the interaction with the samples, in order to be sensitive to their top surface, avoiding mechanical deformations. However, most biological surfaces are highly curved, such as fibers or tubes, and ultimate details of their surface are in the vicinity of steep height variations. This limits lateral resolution, even when sharp probes are used. We overc

SUBMITTER: Calo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4768132 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature