title: Probing biopolymers with the atomic force microscope: a review.
abstract: This short review presents an overview of atomic force microscopy (AFM) of biopolymers and specific examples of some of the biopolymers that have been analyzed by AFM. These specific examples include extracellular polymeric substances on the surfaces of bacterial biofilms, condensed DNA, DNA constructs, and DNA-protein interactions. In addition, two examples are presented for AFM analyses of proteins: laminin flexing its arms in solution and neurofilaments entropically brushing away the space around themselves.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106, USA.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Hansma
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Pietrasanta
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Auerbach
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sorenson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Golan
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Holden
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018441:Biofilms; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA