Scanning tunneling spectroscopy of single DNA molecules.

We briefly present the results of recent experiments of transverse scanning tunneling spectroscopy of homogeneous poly(dG)-poly(dC) DNA molecules and discuss them in the light of theoretical investigation. A semiempirical theoretical model is adopted to describe the transverse tunneling current across a DNA molecule placed between a metallic gold substrate and a metallic STM tip. We show that the main trends in the positions and relative magnitudes of the conductance peaks can be explained by a minimal model of a double tunnel junction with the molecule-electrode couplings and the applied voltage explicitly taken into account.

High-resolution STM imaging of novel single G4-DNA molecules.

The molecular morphology of long G4-DNA wires made by a novel synthetic method was, for the first time, characterized by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM images reveal a periodic structure seen as repeating "bulbs" along the molecules. These bulbs reflect the helix morphology of the wires. The STM measurements were supported by a statistical morphology analysis of the DNA pitch length and apparent height relative to the surface. In the absence of X-ray and NMR data for these wires, the STM measurements provide a unique alternative to characterize the helix morphology.

Electronic structure of single DNA molecules resolved by transverse scanning tunnelling spectroscopy.

Attempts to resolve the energy-level structure of single DNA molecules by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy span over the past two decades, owing to the unique ability of this technique to probe the local density of states of objects deposited on a surface. Nevertheless, success was hindered by extreme technical difficulties in stable deposition and reproducibility. Here, by using scanning tunnelling spectroscopy at cryogenic temperature, we disclose the energy spectrum of poly(G)-poly(C) DNA molecules deposited on gold. The tunnelling current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and their derivative (dI/dV-V) curves at 78 K exhibit a clear gap and a peak structure around the gap. Limited fluctuations in the I-V curves are observed and statistically characterized. By means of ab initio density functional theory calculations, the character of the observed peaks is generally assigned to groups of orbitals originating from the different molecular components, namely the nucleobases, the backbone and the counterions.

High-resolution STM imaging of novel poly(G)-poly(C) DNA molecules.

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging of single double-stranded poly(G)-poly(C) DNA molecules, made by a novel synthesis method, shows the molecules morphology. The STM images reveal a periodic structure of approximately 4 nm, seen as repeating "bulbs" along the molecules. These "bulbs" are associated with the molecule helix (the major grooves). "Nicks", two per 100 nm on the average, are observed along the DNA as well. The STM measurements were supported by a morphological statistics of the DNA molecule groove length and apparent height relative to the surface.

The puzzle of contrast inversion in DNA STM imaging.

DNA has been at the center of an imaging effort since the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). In some of the STM imaging reports the molecules appeared with negative contrast, i.e., "submerged" under the metal background and darker. We demonstrate the phenomenon of contrast inversion in DNA STM imaging by controlled and spontaneous contrast inversions and by the dependence of the DNA apparent height with respect to the surface on the imaging bias voltage. Using these characterizations, we formulate a model explaining the above phenomenon by resonant tunneling through virtual states in the vacuum between the STM tip and the DNA molecule.