title: Microsecond time-scale discrimination among polycytidylic acid, polyadenylic acid, and polyuridylic acid as homopolymers or as segments within single RNA molecules.
abstract: Single molecules of DNA or RNA can be detected as they are driven through an alpha-hemolysin channel by an applied electric field. During translocation, nucleotides within the polynucleotide must pass through the channel pore in sequential, single-file order because the limiting diameter of the pore can accommodate only one strand of DNA or RNA at a time. Here we demonstrate that this nanopore behaves as a detector that can rapidly discriminate between pyrimidine and purine segments along an RNA molecule. Nanopore detection and characterization of single molecules represent a new method for directly reading information encoded in linear polymers, and are critical first steps toward direct sequencing of individual DNA and RNA molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. makeson@chemistry ucsc.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akeson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Branton
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kasianowicz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brandin
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Deamer
mesh_terms: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001483:Base Sequence; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000737:chemistry; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011061:Poly A / Q000737:chemistry*; D011066:Poly C / Q000737:chemistry*; D011072:Poly U / Q000737:chemistry*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; C021091:staphylococcal alpha-toxin; D011061:Poly A; D011072:Poly U; D011066:Poly C; D012313:RNA