Nanoscale holes in solid-state membranes, so-called nanopores, furnish nanosensors for probing biological molecules such as DNA and protein. Under electric fields, charged molecules like DNA are pushed through these pores and the flow of ions surrounding the translocating DNA can be recorded to recognize individual DNA bases, and in turn, the sequence of DNA. Traditional nanopore sensors often use solid-state membranes, which are too thick to recognize single bases on a DNA strand. This limitation can be overcome by using two-dimensional materials such as graphene or MoS$_2$. Only a single base pair of DNA fits into the thin two-dimensional material nanopores at any time, such that these nanopores can potentially provide single-base resolution for DNA sensing. In addition, graphene and MoS$_2$ are both lectrically conductive, thereby allowing the use of electric current in the layer to detect and characterize the DNA in the pore. Instead of actually building and testing the device experimentally, molecular dynamics simulations can assist and enable a bottom-up design of two-dimensional material nanopore devices by unveiling the atomic-level processes occurring during nanopore sensing.

Spotlight: DNA Nanosensors Designed Computationally (Feb 2016)

DNA graphene

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DNA sequencing is achieved by following a strand of DNA at a speed that permits recognition of the DNA bases in their actual order, thousands of bases or more for each pass. Nanotechnology can assist in the task, in principle, by furnishing sensors that can resolve single DNA bases and nano-mechanical actuators that pull the DNA in a controlled fashion passing through the sensor. Instead of building and testing actual sensors and actuators it is cheaper and faster to simulate them. Nanoengineers have indeed succeeded with such simulations over the last decade focussing on silicon technology (see October 2004 highlight: Transistor Meets DNA). Now the engineers have moved with their simulations to graphene technology that promises much better resolving power as sensors are thinner and as signals can be detected electronically in graphene (December 2013 and November 2014 highlights). The main unsolved problem is the mechanical actuator: how can one control movement of DNA through a graphene sensor such that measured signals become less noisy and bases can be recognized? A recent study, based on molecular dynamics simulations with NAMD and quantum electronics calculations of graphene, suggests use of an actuator that simultaneously stretches the DNA and pulls it through the sensor. This manipulation leads to a stepwise translocation of DNA through the graphene nanosensor, slowing down DNA translocation and stabilizing DNA bases inside the sensor. Read more on our graphene nanopore website.

Related Spotlights

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Publications Database
  • Electrically tunable quenching of DNA fluctuations in biased solid-state nanopores. Hu Qiu, Anuj Girdhar, Klaus Schulten, and Jean-Pierre Leburton. ACS Nano, 10:4482-4488, 2016.
  • Intrinsic stepwise translocation of stretched ssDNA in graphene nanopores. Hu Qiu, Aditya Sarathy, Jean-Pierre Leburton, and Klaus Schulten. Nano Letters, 15:8322-8330, 2015.
  • Tunable graphene quantum point contact transistor for DNA detection and characterization. Anuj Girdhar, Chaitanya Sathe, Klaus Schulten, and Jean-Pierre Leburton. Nanotechnology, 26:134005, 2015. (10 pages).
  • Electronic detection of dsDNA transition from helical to zipper conformation using graphene nanopores. Chaitanya Sathe, Anuj Girdhar, Jean-Pierre Leburton, and Klaus Schulten. Nanotechnology, 25:445105, 2014. (9 pages).
  • Graphene quantum point contact transistor for DNA sensing. Anuj Girdhar, Chaitanya Sathe, Klaus Schulten, and Jean-Pierre Leburton. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 110:16748-16753, 2013.
  • Computational investigation of DNA detection using graphene nanopores. Chaitanya Sathe, Xueqing Zou, Jean-Pierre Leburton, and Klaus Schulten. ACS Nano, 5:8842-8851, 2011.
  • Computational microscopy of the role of protonable surface residues in nanoprecipitation oscillations. Eduardo R. Cruz-Chu and Klaus Schulten. ACS Nano, 4:4463-4474, 2010.
  • Ionic current rectification through silica nanopores. Eduardo R. Cruz-Chu, Aleksei Aksimentiev, and Klaus Schulten. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 113:1850-1862, 2009.
  • Molecular control of ionic conduction in polymer nanopores. Eduardo R. Cruz-Chu, Thorsten Ritz, Zuzanna S. Siwy, and Klaus Schulten. Faraday Discussions, 143:47-62, 2009.
  • Modeling transport through synthetic nanopores. Aleksei Aksimentiev, Robert K. Brunner, Eduardo Cruz-Chu, Jeffrey Comer, and Klaus Schulten. IEEE Nanotechnology, 3:20-28, 2009.
  • Computer modeling in biotechnology, a partner in development. Aleksei Aksimentiev, Robert Brunner, Jordi Cohen, Jeffrey Comer, Eduardo Cruz-Chu, David Hardy, Aruna Rajan, Amy Shih, Grigori Sigalov, Ying Yin, and Klaus Schulten. In Protocols in Nanostructure Design, Methods in Molecular Biology, pp. 181-234. Humana Press, 2008.
  • Water-silica force field for simulating nanodevices. Eduardo R. Cruz-Chu, Aleksei Aksimentiev, and Klaus Schulten. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 110:21497-21508, 2006.
  • The role of molecular modeling in bionanotechnology. Deyu Lu, Aleksei Aksimentiev, Amy Y. Shih, Eduardo Cruz-Chu, Peter L. Freddolino, Anton Arkhipov, and Klaus Schulten. Physical Biology, 3:S40-S53, 2006.
  • The electromechanics of DNA in a synthetic nanopore. J. B. Heng, A. Aksimentiev, C. Ho, P. Marks, Y. V. Grinkova, S. Sligar, K. Schulten, and G. Timp. Biophysical Journal, 90:1098-1106, 2006.
  • Stretching DNA using an electric field in a synthetic nanopore. J. B Heng, A. Aksimentiev, C. Ho, P. Marks, Y. V. Grinkova, S. Sligar, K. Schulten, and G. Timp. Nano Letters, 5:1883-1888, 2005.
  • Imaging alpha-hemolysin with molecular dynamics: Ionic conductance, osmotic permeability and the electrostatic potential map. Aleksij Aksimentiev and Klaus Schulten. Biophysical Journal, 88:3745-3761, 2005.
  • Orientation discrimination of single stranded DNA inside the α-hemolysin membrane channel. Jerome Mathé, Aleksei Aksimentiev, David R. Nelson, Klaus Schulten, and Amit Meller. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 102:12377-12382, 2005.
  • Beyond the gene chip. J. B. Heng, A. Aksimentiev, C. Ho, V. Dimitrov, T. Sorsch, J. Miner, W. Mansfield, K. Schulten, and G. Timp. Bell Labs Technical Journal, 10:5-22, 2005.
  • Sizing DNA using a nanometer-diameter pore. J. B. Heng, C. Ho, T. Kim, R. Timp, A. Aksimentiev, Y. V. Grinkova, S. Sligar, K. Schulten, and G. Timp. Biophysical Journal, 87:2905-2911, 2004.
  • Microscopic kinetics of DNA translocation through synthetic nanopores. Aleksij Aksimentiev, Jiunn Benjamin Heng, Gregory Timp, and Klaus Schulten. Biophysical Journal, 87:2086-2097, 2004.
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