A study of protein filaments sliding through solid-state nanopores

Angus McMullen, Mirna Mihovilovic, Derek Stein, Jay X. Tang

Research output: Chapter in Book/Entry/PoemConference contribution

Abstract

Solid-state nanopores have been used extensively over the past decade as powerful tools to study the structure and dynamics of single molecules of DNA. The use of nanopores has mostly been confined to the study of DNA due to the hope that they may eventually be used to cheaply sequence DNA. We have begun extending nanopores to the study of protein filaments, specifically filamentous actin (F-actin), one of three major components of the cytoskeleton. F-actin is a linear, negatively charged, helical polymer well suited for use in a nanopore setup. F-actin, however, behaves qualitatively different in solution than DNA as a result of their differences in persistence length. This enforces a different set of constraints on an F-actin molecule's interaction with a nanopore, allowing for new insights into the polymer dynamics of translocation through a nanometer-sized pore.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationTechnical Proceedings of the 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011
Pages113-116
Number of pages4
StatePublished - 2011
Externally publishedYes
EventNanotechnology 2011: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational - 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011 - Boston, MA, United States
Duration: Jun 13 2011Jun 16 2011

Publication series

NameTechnical Proceedings of the 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011
Volume3

Conference

ConferenceNanotechnology 2011: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational - 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoston, MA
Period6/13/116/16/11

Keywords

  • Actin
  • Bio-sensing
  • Polymer physics
  • Single-molecule study
  • Solid-state nanopores

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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