Controlling DNA Tug‐of‐War in a Dual Nanopore Device. Issue 30 (13th June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Xu; Zhang, Yuning; Nagel, Roland; Reisner, Walter; Dunbar, William B.
• Is Part Of: Small. Volume 15:Issue 30(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-06-13
• Subjects: DNA sensing -- nanopores -- single molecules -- tug‐of‐war -- two‐pore; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanoparticles -- Periodicals; Microtechnology -- Periodicals; 620.5
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.201901704
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1613-6810

Abstract

Abstract: Methods for reducing and directly controlling the speed of DNA through a nanopore are needed to enhance sensing performance for direct strand sequencing and detection/mapping of sequence‐specific features. A method is created for reducing and controlling the speed of DNA that uses two independently controllable nanopores operated with an active control logic. The pores are positioned sufficiently close to permit cocapture of a single DNA by both pores. Once cocapture occurs, control logic turns on constant competing voltages at the pores leading to a "tug‐of‐war" whereby opposing forces are applied to regions of the molecules threading through the pores. These forces exert both conformational and speed control over the cocaptured molecule, removing folds and reducing the translocation rate. When the voltages are tuned so that the electrophoretic force applied to both pores comes into balance, the life time of the tug‐of‐war state is limited purely by diffusive sliding of the DNA between the pores. A tug‐of‐war state is produced on 76.8% of molecules that are captured with a maximum two‐order of magnitude increase in average pore translocation time relative to the average time for single‐pore translocation. Moreover, the translocation slow‐down is quantified as a function of voltage tuning and it is shown that the slow‐down is well described by a first passage analysis for a 1D subdiffusive process. The ionic current of each nanopore provides an independent sensor that synchronously measures a different region of the same molecule, enabling sequential detection of physical labels, such as monostreptavidin tags. With advances in devices and control logic, future dual‐pore applications include genome mapping and enzyme‐free sequencing. Abstract : A dual nanopore approach for reducing and directly controlling the speed of DNA through the nanopore is reported . Constant competing voltages at the dual pores lead to a "tug‐of‐war, " whereby opposing forces are applied to regions of the molecules threading through the pores. These forces exert both conformational and speed control over the cocaptured molecule, removing folds and reducing the translocation rate.