SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDIES OF BACTERIOPHAGE-T4 AND ITS TAIL FIBERS

Atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy were used to obtain molecular resolution images of biological structures such as p roteins and viruses. Proteins of 10 to 20 nm scale could be reliably r esolved with faintly recognizable subunit arrangements. Bacteriophage T4 was imaged with well-resolved head, tail, and tail fibers. When the tails were prepared from the headless mutants, the sheath proteins we re stripped away from the tail, revealing the tube and the base plate in a T-shaped complex. Scanning tunneling microscopy was used on metal coated samples and provided a reliable height measurement for bacteri ophage T4. Constant improvement in the instrumentation and sample prep aration promises a bright future for the biomedical application of sca nning probe microscopy.