ABSTRACT
While electron microscopy is a powerful tool for observing the morphology of compacted forms of DNA, it is unclear whether such morphological features accurately reflect that structure in solution due to the used methods to prepare samples for electron microscopy. Recently developed probe microscopies, such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), also give the images only for DNA adsorbed on to a solid surface. Under these circumstances, Bloomfield (1996), the pioneering scientist on ‘DNA condensation’, has stated, ‘Generally, the term “condensation” is reserved for situations in which the aggregate is of finite size and orderly morphology.’
