High-Resolution Imaging of Bacteriorhodopsin by Atomic Force Microscopy

In the last years the atomic force microscope (AFM; ref. 1 ) has become a powerful imaging tool for the biologist. The unique features like the possibility to image biological structures in their native environment (i.e., in buffer solution, at room temperature, and under normal pressure), the high lateral and vertical resolution, and the high signal-to-noise ratio of the topographs acquired by AFM make this instrument outstanding. It has made the observation of different single biomolecules at work and the monitoring of biomolecular interactions by time-lapse AFM possible (for recent reviews, see refs. 2 –4 ).