Atomic Force Microscopy Observation of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Stretched and Anchored onto Aluminum Electrodes

We have demonstrated that the electrostatic stretch-and-positioning of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is useful for the analysis of a long DNA molecule by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Using a pair of aluminum electrodes patterned on a glass plate, DNA molecules were stretched parallel to the field line, and immobilized onto the electrodes. Through AFM observation of avidin-labeled DNA, we confirmed the immobilization of individual DNA molecules, not aggregates.