The chromatin structure of well-spread demembranated human sperm nuclei revealed by atomic force microscopy (CAT#: STEM-SMMT-0027-LJX)

Name: The chromatin structure of well-spread demembranated human sperm nuclei revealed by atomic force microscopy
SKU: STEM-SMMT-0027-LJX
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Introduction

The fundamental structure formed when genomic DNA is packaged by protamine in the human sperm nucleus still remains essentially unresolved. It is known that the binding of protamine, a small arginine-rich protein, to DNA generates a large dense, hydrophobic complex making the sperm chromatin structure difficult to study microscopically. To visualize the internal nuclear structures, isolated human sperm nuclei were swollen extensively in saline buffer using only a reducing agent. The nuclei were swollen during deposition onto coverglass and then imaged in the atomic force microscope (AFM).

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Principle Applications Procedure Materials Notes

Principle

Atomic force microscope (AFM) is a new type of surface analysis instrument based on the principles of physics and imaging through the interaction of scanning probe and sample surface atoms. It belongs to the third generation of microscopes after optical microscopes and electron microscopes.
AFM usually uses a sharp probe to scan the sample, which is fixed on a microcantilever that is extremely sensitive to the surface force between the probe and the sample. The deflection of the cantilever under force can cause the laser beam emitted by the laser source to shift after being reflected by the cantilever. The detector receives reflected light, and finally receives signals that are collected, processed, and formed into surface morphology images of the sample through a computer system.

Applications

Imaging of micro and nanoscale features on the surface of the sample
Suitable for research in fields such as materials science, biology, and chemistry