Observation of microtubules with scanning force microscopy in liquid

Pedro J. de Pablo, IAT Schaap, C.F. Schmidt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present the application of scanning force microscopy using the jumping mode to investigate microtubules adsorbed to glass in air and in liquid. To fix the microtubules the glass surfaces were silanized with aminopropyl-triethoxy-silane. The observed structures ranged from disrupted microtubules in air to intact microtubules in liquid. Intact microtubules show heights between 20 and 24 nm confirming the diameter found in electron microscopy studies. The force applied by the tip was critical for the microtubule height, indicating deformation by the tip. Internal structure, corresponding to protofilaments, was found.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-146
Number of pages4
JournalNanotechnology
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2003
Event3rd International Conference on Trends in Nanotechnology - SANTIAGO COMPOSTE, Spain
Duration: 9 Sept 200213 Sept 2002

Keywords

  • TAPPING MODE
  • IMAGING MICROTUBULES
  • JUMPING MODE
  • KINESIN
  • TUBULIN

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