Protein imaging by atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used for imaging of non-conductive surface using a cantilever with a sharp probe to mediate the atomic force interaction between the probe and substrate. The application of AFM for the imaging of protein including transmembrane protein has been studied and revealed their single molecular structure on a nanometer scale. Especially for the transmembrane proteins that lack of 3D structural information obtained by X-ray crystallography, AFM imaging has significant advantages. Since the imaging is capable in the aqueous solution, the obtained images are expected to provide information that reflects structures found in the living cells. Additionally, the force curve measurement for intra- or inter-molecular non-covalent interaction such as protein folding or ligand -receptor interaction will be explained.