J. Yang et al., MOLECULAR RESOLUTION ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY OF SOLUBLE-PROTEINS IN SOLUTION, Biochimica et biophysica acta (G). General subjects, 1199(2), 1994, pp. 105-114
We introduce a simple specimen preparatory method for atomic force mic
roscopy of soluble proteins in aqueous solutions. It is demonstrated t
hat the mica surface is suitable for direct adsorption of macromolecul
es that are sufficiently stable to withstand the disturbance of the pr
obe for reproducible imaging at high resolution. It is also shown that
the main problem impeding successful imaging is the excessive adsorpt
ion of macromolecules, as loosely bound macromolecules readily stick t
o the tip and produce various imaging artifacts.