title: Direct observation of iron-induced conformational changes of mitochondrial DNA by high-resolution field-emission in-lens scanning electron microscopy.
abstract: When respiring rat liver mitochondria are incubated in the presence of Fe(III) gluconate, their DNA (mtDNA) relaxes from the supercoiled to the open circular form dependent on the iron dose. Anaerobiosis or antioxidants fail to completely inhibit the unwinding. High-resolution field-emission in-lens scanning electron microscopy imaging, in concert with backscattered electron detection, pinpoints nanometer-range iron colloids bound to mtDNA isolated from iron-exposed mitochondria. High-resolution field-emission in-lens scanning electron microscopy with backscattered electron detection imaging permits simultaneous detailed visual analysis of DNA topology, iron dose-dependent mtDNA unwinding, and assessment of iron colloid formation on mtDNA strands.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Electron Microscopy I, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaffee
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D007501:Iron / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation / Q000187:drug effects*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D007501:Iron