Dynamics of DNA condensates at the solid-liquid interface by atomic force microscopy

Real-time dynamics of the interaction of two DNA condensates are imaged wit h atomic force microscopy under fluid. DNA condensates are formed at the so lid-liquid interface of aqueous buffer and chemically modified mica. Atomic force microscopy shows that the DNA condensates and the strands that compo se these condensates interact and are dynamic in fluid. For the first time, images of two closely spaced condensates show that the strands in one cond ensate organize commensurately with the nearby strands of the second conden sate. The observed structure may be an intermediate for a multi-condensate toroid. The implications of this finding are considered.