Table 1.

Summary of mtDNA molecules observed using atomic force microscopy

Total molecules screened	615
Molecules with extended ssDNA	78 (12.7%)
Molecules with short D-loops	66 (10.7%)
Expanded D-loop molecules	21
Molecules with partial synthesis of both daughters	8
Gapped circular (β daughter) molecules	20
Dimer molecules	5
Contours measured	192
    Mean length (micrometers)	5.04 ± 0.18

The top panel represents molecules scored from random sampling. The center panel also includes additional molecules that were not part of the random sample. The lower panel represents the contour length measurements made on simple circular and D-loop-containing molecules.

(ssDNA) Single-stranded DNA.