Translocation of double-strand DNA through a silicon oxide nanopore

TLDR

These experiments pave the way for quantitative analytical techniques with solid‑state nanopores. The study uses ~10 nm silicon oxide nanopores to translocate double‑stranded DNA, sorting events by folding state and estimating the folding position. The experiments detect DNA fragments from 6,557 to 48,500 base pairs, observe both linear and folded translocations, confirm the behavior with circular DNA, and demonstrate that the nanopore can differentiate fragment lengths in a mixture.

Abstract

We report double-strand DNA translocation experiments using silicon oxide nanopores with a diameter of about $10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$. By monitoring the conductance of a voltage-biased pore, we detect molecules with a length ranging from 6557 to 48 500 base pairs. We find that the molecules can pass the pore both in a straight linear fashion and in a folded state. Experiments on circular DNA further support this picture. We sort the molecular events according to their folding state and estimate the folding position. As a proof-of-principle experiment, we show that a nanopore can be used to distinguish the lengths of DNA fragments present in a mixture. These experiments pave the way for quantitative analytical techniques with solid-state nanopores.