A silanized mica substrate suitable for high-resolution fiber FISH analysis by scanning near-field optical/atomic force microscopy

Scanning. 2010 Nov-Dec;32(6):383-9. doi: 10.1002/sca.20214. Epub 2010 Dec 15.

Abstract

We applied a novel silanized mica substrate with an extremely flat surface constructed according to Sasou et al. (Langmuir 19, 9845-9849 (2003)) to high-resolution detection of a specific gene on a DNA fiber by scanning near-field optical/atomic force microscopy (SNOM/AFM). The interaction between the substrate and fluorescence-dye conjugated peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes, which causes fluorescence noise signal, was minimal. By using the substrate, we successfully obtained a fluorescence in situ hybridization signal from the ea47 gene on a λphage DNA labeled with an Alexa 532-conjugated 15-base PNA probe. As the results, no fluorescence noises were observed, indicating that the surface adsorbed almost none of the PNA probe. The combination of the substrate and SNOM/AFM is an effective tool for visualizing DNA sequences at nanometer-scale resolution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aluminum Silicates / chemistry*
  • Bacteriophage lambda / genetics
  • DNA / analysis
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / methods*
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Peptide Nucleic Acids / chemistry
  • Silanes / chemistry*

Substances

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Peptide Nucleic Acids
  • Silanes
  • DNA
  • mica