nn8b03365_si_001.pdf (661.95 kB)
Electric-Field-Driven Translocation of ssDNA through Hydrophobic Nanopores
journal contribution
posted on 2018-07-09, 00:00 authored by Taylor Haynes, Iain P. S. Smith, E. Jayne Wallace, Jemma L. Trick, Mark S. P. Sansom, Syma KhalidThe
accurate sequencing of DNA using nanopores requires control
over the speed of DNA translocation through the pores and also of
the DNA conformation. Our studies show that ssDNA translocates through
hourglass-shaped pores with hydrophobic constriction regions when
an electric field is applied. The constriction provides a barrier
to translocation and thereby slows down DNA movement through the pore
compared with pores without the constriction. We show that ssDNA moves
through these hydrophobic pores in an extended conformation and therefore
does not form undesirable secondary structures that may affect the
accuracy of partial current blockages for DNA sequencing.