Nanoscale optical imaging of chromosomes with apertureless microscopy

Near-field optical structure of the centromere region of undyed polytene chromosomes has been observed using an apertureless near-field optical microscope that detects the intensity of light scattered from an atomic force microscope tip under laser illumination. The centromere is of primary importance to the functioning of the chromosome in the cell during cell division. It is also particularly interesting for structural/optical studies since its DNA repeat sequences are highly conserved among organisms and it is possible that they play a part in the centromere self assembly (Clark and Wall 1996).