title: Scanning tunneling microscopy of freeze-fracture replicas of biomembranes.
abstract: The high resolution of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) makes it a potentially important tool for the study of biomaterials. Biological materials can be imaged with the STM by a procedure in which fluid, nonconductive biomaterials are replaced by rigid and highly conductive freeze-fracture replicas. The three-dimensional contours of the ripple phase of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers were imaged with unprecedented resolution with commercial STMs and standard freeze-fracture techniques. Details of the ripple amplitude, asymmetry, and configuration unobtainable by electron microscopy or x-ray diffraction can be observed relatively easily with the STM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zasadzinski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneir
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gurley
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Elings
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Hansma
mesh_terms: D004134:Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008566:Membranes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D004134:Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine