title: AFM characterization of biomolecules in physiological environment by an advanced nanofabricated probe.
abstract: Many relevant questions in biology and medicine require both topography and chemical information with high spatial resolution. Several biological events that occur at the nanometer scale level need to be investigated in physiological conditions. In this regard Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is one of the most powerful tools for label-free nanoscale characterization of biological samples in liquid environment. Recently, the coupling of Raman spectroscopy to scanning probe microscopies has opened new perspectives on this subject; however, the coupling of quality AFM spectroscopy with Raman spectroscopy in the same probe is not trivial. In this work we report about the AFM capabilities of an advanced high-resolution probe that has been previously nanofabricated by our group for coupling with Raman spectroscopy applications. We investigate its use for liquid AFM measurements on biological model samples like lipid bilayers, amyloid fibrils, and titin proteins. We demonstrate topography resolution down to nanometer level, force measurement and stable imaging capability. We also discuss about its potential as nanoscale chemical probe in liquid phase.
authors.affiliation: Nanostructures Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy. manola.moretti@iit.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Canale
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Francardi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dante
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Fabrizio
mesh_terms: D000682:Amyloid / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D064211:Connectin; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D064211:Connectin; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases