Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Scanning tunnelling microscopy of Z-DNA

Nature volume 339, pages 484–486 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

SCANNING tunnelling microscopy (STM) has been used to map the surface topography of inorganic materials at the atomic level, and is potentially one of the most powerful techniques for probing biomolecular structure1–3. Recent STM studies of calf thymus DNA4,5and poly(rA) · poly(rU)5 have shown that the helical pitch and periodic alternation of major and minor grooves can be visualized and reliably measured. Here we present the first STM images of poly(dG-me5d) · poly(dG-me5dC) in the Z-form. Both the general appearance of the fibres and measurements of helical parameters are in good agreement with models derived from X-ray diffraction6–4.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Binnig, G. Rohrer, H., Gerber, C. & Weibel, E. Phys. Rev. Lett. 50, 120–123 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Golovchenko, J. A. Science 232, 42–47 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hansma, P. K. Elings, V. B., Marti, O. & Bracker, C. E. Science 242, 209–216 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Beebe, T. P., Jr et al. Science 243, 370–372 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lee, G., Arscott, P. G. Bloomfield, V. A. & Evans, D. F. Science 244, 475–477 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fujii, S., Wang, A. H.-J., van der Marel, G., van Boom, J. H. & Rich, A. Nucleic Acids Res. 10, 7879–7892 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Behe, M. & Felsenfeld, G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 1619–1623 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Drew, H., Takano, T., Tanaka, S., Itakura, K. & Dickerson, R. E. Nature 286, 567–573 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lang, D., Steely, H. T., Jr, Kao, C.-Y. & Ktistakis, N. T. Biochim. biophys. Acta 910, 271–281 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Pullman, A. & Pullman, B. Q. Rev. Biophys. 14, 289–380 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Saenger, W. Principles of Nucleic Acid Structure (Springer, New York, 1984).

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA

    Patricia G. Arscott & Victor A. Bloomfield

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and Interfacial Sciences Center, Shepherd Laboratory, University of Minnesota, 100 Union Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA

    Gil Lee & D. Fennell Evans

Authors
  1. Patricia G. Arscott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gil Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Victor A. Bloomfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D. Fennell Evans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Arscott, P., Lee, G., Bloomfield, V. et al. Scanning tunnelling microscopy of Z-DNA. Nature 339, 484–486 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/339484a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/339484a0

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing