Preparation and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Characterization of DNA Scaffolds as a Template for Protein Immobilization

The design of DNA nanostructures is of fundamental importance, the intrinsic value of DNA as a building-block material lies in its ability to organize other bio-molecules with nanometer-scale spacing. Here, we report the fabrication of DNA scaffolds with nano-pores (<10 nm size) that formed easily without the use of additives (i.e., avidin, biotin, polyamine, or inorganic materials) into large-scale structures by assembling DNA molecules at near room temperature ($30^{\circ}C$) and low pH (~5.5). Protein immobilization results also confirmed that a fibronectin (FN) proteins/large scale DNA scaffolds/aminopropylytriethoxysilane (APS)/SiO2/Si substrate with high sensitivity formed in a well-defined manner. The DNA scaffolds can be applied for use with DNA-based biochips, biophysics, and cell biology.