The combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with single-molecule-sensitive confocal fluorescence microscopy enables a fascinating investigation into the structure, dynamics and interactions of single biomolecules or their assemblies. AFM reveals the structure of macromolecular complexes with nanometer resolution, while fluorescence can facilitate the identification of their constituent par...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a modern imaging technique that generates height representations of a sample surface with subnanometer resolution. Since 1986 it has evolved into a versatile tool which also provides maps of elastic and viscoelastic properties. AFM offers the opportunity to image samples with or without treatment in various environments. Aim of this work is a short description o...

High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) have mutually complementary capabilities. Here, we report techniques to combine these microscopy systems so that both microscopy capabilities can be simultaneously used in the full extent. To combine the two systems, we have developed a tip-scan type HS-AFM instrument equipped with a device...

1Laboratory of Integrative and Medical Biophysics, National Institutes of Health, 9 Memorial Drive, Bldg. 9 Rm. 1E118, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA 2National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, 13 South Drive, Bldg. 13 Rm. 3N17, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA 3Laboratory of Integrative and Medical Biophysics, National Institutes of Health, 13 South Drive, Bldg...

The effect of water sorption on the mobility of molecules on the surface of a crystalline anhydrous solid was investigated to understand the mechanism of its transformation to the corresponding hydrate. Theophylline was chosen as the model compound. The transition water activity for anhydrate to hydrate transformation, RH(T), and the deliquescence RH, RH(0), was determined to be 62% and 99%, re...

High resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) in liquids offers atomic scale insight into the structure at water/solid interfaces and is perhaps the only tool capable of resolving the nature of formed hydration layers. However, convolution between the imaging signal and the tip/surface interactions and hydration layers means that interpretation is far from straightforward. Modeling the complex ...

Since the 1980s, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has rapidly developed into a versatile, high-resolution characterization technique, available in a variety of imaging modes. Within intermittent-contact tapping-mode, imaging bistability and sample mechanical damage continue to be two of the most important challenges faced daily by AFM users. Recently, a new double-control-loop tapping-mode imaging...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to image reovirus double stranded RNA (dsRNA) deposited from diluted buffer solution onto a chemically treated mica surface. This procedure allows AFM images of dsRNA molecules to be obtained with a quality close to that obtained with conventional electron microscopy. The length of the molecules were measured directly on a computer display using the digita...

A new method based on combined atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence microscopy observations, is proposed to visualize the insertion of glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI) anchored alkaline phosphatase from buffer solutions into supported phospholipid bilayers. The technique involves the use of 27 nm diameter fluorescent latex beads covalently coupled to the amine groups of proteins. F...