Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Slo1

Title: Controlling the translocation of single-stranded DNA through alpha-hemolysin ion channels using viscosity.

Authors: Ryuji Kawano, Anna E P Schibel, Christopher Cauley, Henry S White

Journal, date & volume: , 2009 Jan 20 , 25, 1233-7

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19138164

Abstract
Translocation of single-stranded DNA through alpha-hemolysin (alpha-HL) channels is investigated in glycerol/water mixtures containing 1 M KCl. Experiments using glass nanopore membranes as the lipid bilayer support demonstrate that the translocation velocities of poly(deoxyadenylic acid), poly(deoxycytidylic acid), and poly(deoxythymidylic acid) 50-mers are decreased by a factor of approximately 20 in a 63/37 (vol %) glycerol/water mixture, relative to aqueous solutions. The ion conductance of alpha-HL and the entry rate of the polynucleotides into the protein channel also decrease with increasing viscosity. Precise control of translocation parameters by adjusting viscosity provides a potential means to improve sequencing methods based on ion channel recordings.