No abstract

The contour length of DNA fragments, deposited and imaged on mica under buffer, was measured as a function of deposition temperature. Extended DNA molecules (on Ni-and silane-treated surfaces) contract rapidly with falling temperature, approaching the contour length of A-DNA at 2°°°°C. The contraction is not unique to a specific sequence and does not occur in solution at 2°°°°C or on a surface at 25°°°°C, indicating that it arises from a combination of low temperature and surface contact. It is probably a consequence of reduced water activity at a cold surface.