Concentration effects on capture rate and translocation configuration of nanopore-based DNA detection.

ABSTRACT

Nanopore is a kind of powerful tool to detect single molecules and investigate fundamental biological processes. In biological cells or real detection systems, concentration of DNA molecules is various. Here, we report an experimental study of the effects of DNA concentration on capture rate and translocation configuration with different sized nanopores and applied voltages. Three classes of DNA translocation configurations have been observed including linear translocation, folded translocation, and cotranslocation. In the case of relatively large sized nanopore or high applied voltage, considerable cotranslocation events have been detected. The percentage of cotranslocation events also increases with DNA concentration, which leads to the relationship between capture rate and DNA concentration deviates from linearity. Therefore, in order to reflect the number of translocation molecules accurately, the capture rate should be corrected by double-counting cotranslocation events. These results will provide a valuable reference for the design of nanopore sensors.