title: Stretching DNA using the electric field in a synthetic nanopore.
abstract: The mechanical properties of DNA over segments comparable to the size of a protein-binding site (3-10 nm) are examined using an electric-field-induced translocation of single molecules through a nanometer diameter pore. DNA, immersed in an electrolyte, is forced through synthetic pores ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 nm in radius in a 10 nm thick Si(3)N(4) membrane using an electric field. To account for the stretching and bending, we use molecular dynamics to simulate the translocation. We have found a threshold for translocation that depends on both the dimensions of the pore and the applied transmembrane bias. The voltage threshold coincides with the stretching transition that occurs in double-stranded DNA near 60 pN.
authors.affiliation: Beckman Institute and Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Jiunn B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Heng
authors.forename: Aleksei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aksimentiev
authors.forename: Chuen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.forename: Yelena V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Grinkova
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sligar
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schulten
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Timp
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D055672:Static Electricity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D004247:DNA