Molecular transport through large-diameter DNA nanopores.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27658960.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms12787 and PMC identifier 5036142.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
DNA-based nanopores are synthetic biomolecular membrane pores, whose geometry and chemical functionality can be tuned using the tools of DNA nanotechnology, making them promising molecular devices for applications in single-molecule biosensing and synthetic biology. Here we introduce a large DNA membrane channel with an ≈4 nm diameter pore, which has stable electrical properties and spontaneously inserts into flat lipid bilayer membranes. Membrane incorporation is facilitated by a large number of hydrophobic functionalizations or, alternatively, streptavidin linkages between biotinylated channels and lipids. The channel displays an Ohmic conductance of ≈3 nS, consistent with its size, and allows electrically driven translocation of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA analytes. Using confocal microscopy and a dye influx assay, we demonstrate the spontaneous formation of membrane pores in giant unilamellar vesicles. Pores can be created both in an outside-in and an inside-out configuration.