Large-Conductance Transmembrane Porin Made from DNA Origami.

Göpfrich, Kerstin; Li, Chen-Yu; Ricci, Maria; Bhamidimarri, Satya Prathyusha; Yoo, Jejoong; Gyenes, Bertalan; Ohmann, Alexander; Winterhalter, Mathias et al. · ACS Nano · 2016

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

DNA nanotechnology allows for the creation of three-dimensional structures at nanometer scale. Here, we use DNA to build the largest synthetic pore in a lipid membrane to date, approaching the dimensions of the nuclear pore complex and increasing the pore-area and the conductance 10-fold compared to previous man-made channels. In our design, 19 cholesterol tags anchor a megadalton funnel-shaped DNA origami porin in a lipid bilayer membrane. Confocal imaging and ionic current recordings reveal spontaneous insertion of the DNA porin into the lipid membrane, creating a transmembrane pore of tens of nanosiemens conductance. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations characterize the conductance mechanism at the atomic level and independently confirm the DNA porins' large ionic conductance.

Medical subject headings