title: Unusual DNA structures formed on bare highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surfaces studied by atomic force microscopy.
abstract: It is important to know the detailed DNA structure on carbonaceous surfaces for further application of DNA-functionalized carbonaceous materials in diverse research areas. In this study, the topographic and structural characteristics of the separated single DNA molecules and their assembly on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces have been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM results indicate that both circular and linear DNA molecules tend to form hexagonal patterns along with some unusual structures that include node, protrusion, cruciform, parallel single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), and compact zigzag. Furthermore, parallel ssDNA patterns and their crossed structures have been obtained under high-temperature conditions. Our AFM results reveal that a bare HOPG surface can induce DNA molecules to form various unusual structures. This finding is helpful for understanding the adsorption behavior of DNA on other carbonaceous surfaces such as carbon nanotubes and graphene. In addition, the hexagonal DNA patterns in this study are similar to those formed on the alkylamine-modified HOPG surface, which implies that a bare HOPG, without any chemical modification, has a strong ability to align biomolecules. This study could expand our knowledge of the diversities of DNA structures and the aligning ability of carbonaceous surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Ecology of Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, People's Republic of China. zguoliu@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yuangang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zu
authors.forename: Shengnan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yuanlin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D006108:Graphite; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation
chemical_list: D006108:Graphite; D004247:DNA