Issue 27, 2017

A tensegrity driven DNA nanopore

Abstract

Control of transport across membranes, whether natural or synthetic, is fundamental in many biotechnology applications, including sensing and drug release. Mutations of naturally existing protein channels, such as hemolysin, have been explored in the past. More recently, DNA channels with conductivities in the nanosiemens range have been designed. Regulating transport across DNA channels in response to external stimuli remains an important challenge. Previous designs relied on steric hindrance to control the inner diameter of the channel, which resulted in unstable electric signatures. In this paper we introduce a new design to control electric channel conductance of a DNA nanopore. The tensegrity driven mechanism inhibits the flux of small analytes while keeping a tightly controlled ionic transport modulated by the addition of specific DNA sequences. Current signals are clearly defined, with no sign of gating, opening new perspectives in single molecule DNA sensing.

Graphical abstract: A tensegrity driven DNA nanopore

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Mar 2017
Accepted
22 Jun 2017
First published
27 Jun 2017

Nanoscale, 2017,9, 9762-9769

A tensegrity driven DNA nanopore

O. Mendoza, P. Calmet, I. Alves, S. Lecomte, M. Raoux, C. Cullin and J. Elezgaray, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 9762 DOI: 10.1039/C7NR01901G

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