Single-molecule DNA detection with an engineered MspA protein nanopore.

ABSTRACT: Nanopores hold great promise as single-molecule analytical devices and biophysical model systems because the ionic current blockades they produce contain information about the identity, concentration, structure, and dynamics of target molecules. The porin MspA of Mycobacterium smegmatis has remarkable stability against environmental stresses and can be rationally modified based on its crystal structure. Further, MspA has a short and narrow channel constriction that is promising for DNA sequencing because it may enable improved characterization of short segments of a ssDNA molecule that is threaded through the pore. By eliminating the negative charge in the channel constriction, we designed and constructed an MspA mutant capable of electronically detecting and characterizing single molecule

SUBMITTER: Butler TZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2634888 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature