Discriminating protein tags on a dsDNA construct using a Dual Nanopore Device.

We report Brownian dynamics simulation results with the specific goal to identify key parameters controlling the experimentally measurable characteristics of protein tags on a dsDNA construct translocating through a double nanopore setup. First, we validate the simulation scheme in silico by reproducing and explaining the physical origin of the asymmetric experimental dwell time distributions of the oligonucleotide flap markers on a 48 kbp long dsDNA at the left and the right pore. We study the effect of the electric field inside and beyond the pores, critical to discriminate the protein tags based on their effective charges and masses revealed through a generic power-law dependence of the average dwell time at each pore. The simulation protocols monitor piecewise dynamics at a sub-nanometer length scale and explain the disparate velocity using the concepts of nonequilibrium tension propagation theory. We further justify the model and the chosen simulation parameters by calculating the Péclet number which is in close agreement with the experiment. We demonstrate that our carefully chosen simulation strategies can serve as a powerful tool to discriminate different types of neutral and charged tags of different origins on a dsDNA construct in terms of their physical characteristics and can provide insights to increase both the efficiency and accuracy of an experimental dual-nanopore setup.

Electronic Mapping of a Bacterial Genome with Dual Solid-State Nanopores and Active Single-Molecule Control.

We present an electronic mapping of a bacterial genome using solid-state nanopore technology. A dual-nanopore architecture and active control logic are used to produce single-molecule data that enables estimation of distances between physical tags installed at sequence motifs within double-stranded DNA. Previously developed "DNA flossing" control logic generates multiple scans of each captured DNA. We extended this logic in two ways: first, to automate "zooming out" on each molecule to progressively increase the number of tags scanned during flossing, and second, to automate recapture of a molecule that exited flossing to enable interrogation of the same and/or different regions of the molecule. Custom analysis methods were developed to produce consensus alignments from each multiscan event. The combined multiscanning and multicapture method was applied to the challenge of mapping from a heterogeneous mixture of single-molecule fragments that make up the Escherichia coli (E. coli) chromosome. Coverage of 3.1× across 2355 resolvable sites of the E. coli genome was achieved after 5.6 h of recording time. The recapture method showed a 38% increase in the merged-event alignment length compared to single-scan alignments. The observed intertag resolution was 150 bp in engineered DNA molecules and 166 bp natively within fragments of E. coli DNA, with detection of 133 intersite intervals shorter than 200 bp in the E. coli reference map. We present results on estimating distances in repetitive regions of the E. coli genome. With an appropriately designed array, higher throughput implementations could enable human-sized genome and epigenome mapping applications.

Flossing DNA in a Dual Nanopore Device.

Solid-state nanopores are a single-molecule technique that can provide access to biomolecular information that is otherwise masked by ensemble averaging. A promising application uses pores and barcoding chemistries to map molecular motifs along single DNA molecules. Despite recent research breakthroughs, however, it remains challenging to overcome molecular noise to fully exploit single-molecule data. Here, an active control technique termed "flossing" that uses a dual nanopore device is presented to trap a proteintagged DNA molecule and up to 100's of back-and-forth electrical scans of the molecule are performed in a few seconds. The protein motifs bound to 48.5 kb λ-DNA are used as detectable features for active triggering of the bidirectional control. Molecular noise is suppressed by averaging the multiscan data to produce averaged intertag distance estimates that are comparable to their known values. Since nanopore feature-mapping applications require DNA linearization when passing through the pore, a key advantage of flossing is that trans-pore linearization is increased to >98% by the second scan, compared to 35% for single nanopore passage of the same set of molecules. In concert with barcoding methods, the dual-pore flossing technique could enable genome mapping and structural variation applications, or mapping loci of epigenetic relevance.

Fast and accurate quantification of insertion-site specific transgene levels from raw seed samples using solid-state nanopore technology.

Many modern crop varieties contain patented biotechnology traits, and an increasing number of these crops have multiple (stacked) traits. Fast and accurate determination of transgene levels is advantageous for a variety of use cases across the food, feed and fuel value chain. With the growing number of new transgenic crops, any technology used to quantify them should have robust assays that are simple to design and optimize, thereby facilitating the addition of new traits to an assay. Here we describe a PCR-based method that is simple to design, starts from whole seeds, and can be run to end-point in less than 5 minutes. Subsequent relative quantification (trait vs. non-trait) using capillary electrophoresis performed in 5% increments across the 0-100% range showed a mean absolute error of 1.9% (s.d. = 1.1%). We also show that the PCR assay can be coupled to non-optical solid-state nanopore sensors to give seed-to-trait quantification results with a mean absolute error of 2.3% (s.d. = 1.6%). In concert, the fast PCR and nanopore sensing stages demonstrated here can be fully integrated to produce seed-to-trait quantification results in less than 10 minutes, with high accuracy across the full dynamic range.

Controlling DNA Tug-of-War in a Dual Nanopore Device.

Methods for reducing and directly controlling the speed of DNA through a nanopore are needed to enhance sensing performance for direct strand sequencing and detection/mapping of sequence-specific features. A method is created for reducing and controlling the speed of DNA that uses two independently controllable nanopores operated with an active control logic. The pores are positioned sufficiently close to permit cocapture of a single DNA by both pores. Once cocapture occurs, control logic turns on constant competing voltages at the pores leading to a "tug-of-war" whereby opposing forces are applied to regions of the molecules threading through the pores. These forces exert both conformational and speed control over the cocaptured molecule, removing folds and reducing the translocation rate. When the voltages are tuned so that the electrophoretic force applied to both pores comes into balance, the life time of the tug-of-war state is limited purely by diffusive sliding of the DNA between the pores. A tug-of-war state is produced on 76.8% of molecules that are captured with a maximum two-order of magnitude increase in average pore translocation time relative to the average time for single-pore translocation. Moreover, the translocation slow-down is quantified as a function of voltage tuning and it is shown that the slow-down is well described by a first passage analysis for a 1D subdiffusive process. The ionic current of each nanopore provides an independent sensor that synchronously measures a different region of the same molecule, enabling sequential detection of physical labels, such as monostreptavidin tags. With advances in devices and control logic, future dual-pore applications include genome mapping and enzyme-free sequencing.

A handheld platform for target protein detection and quantification using disposable nanopore strips.

Accessible point-of-care technologies that can provide immunoassay and molecular modalities could dramatically enhance diagnostics, particularly for infectious disease control in low-resource settings. Solid-state nanopores are simple and durable sensors with low-energy instrumentation requirements. While nanopore sensors have demonstrated efficacy for nucleic acid targets, selective detection and quantification of target proteins from sample background has not been demonstrated. We present a simple approach for electronic detection and quantification of target proteins that combines novel biomolecular engineering methods, a portable reader device and disposable nanopore test strips. The target of interest can be varied by swapping the binding domain on our engineered detection reagent, which eficiently binds in the bulk-phase to the target and subsequently generates a unique signature when passing through the pore. We show modularity of the detection reagent for two HIV antibodies, TNFα and tetanus toxin as targets. A saliva swab-to-result is demonstrated for clinically relevant HIV antibody levels (0.4-20 mg/liter) in under 60 seconds. While other strip-like assays are qualitative, the presented method is quantitative and sets the stage for simultaneous immunoassay and molecular diagnostic functionality within a single portable platform.

Single Molecule DNA Resensing Using a Two-Pore Device.

A nanofluidic device is presented that, enables independent sensing and resensing of a single DNA molecule translocating through two nanopores with sub-micrometer spacing. The device concept is based upon integrating a thin nitride membrane with microchannels etched in borosilicate glass. Pores, coupled to each microchannel, are connected via a fluid-filled half-space on the device backside, enabling translocation of molecules across each pore in sequence. Critically, this approach allows for independent application of control voltage and measurement of trans-pore ionic current at each of the two pores, leading to 1) controlled assessment of molecular time of flight, 2) voltage-tuned selective molecule recapture, and 3) ability to acquire two correlated translocation signatures for each molecule analyzed. Finally, the rare cocapture of a single chain threading simultaneously through each of the two pores is reported.

Nanopore-Based Target Sequence Detection.

The promise of portable diagnostic devices relies on three basic requirements: comparable sensitivity to established platforms, inexpensive manufacturing and cost of operations, and the ability to survive rugged field conditions. Solid state nanopores can meet all these requirements, but to achieve high manufacturing yields at low costs, assays must be tolerant to fabrication imperfections and to nanopore enlargement during operation. This paper presents a model for molecular engineering techniques that meets these goals with the aim of detecting target sequences within DNA. In contrast to methods that require precise geometries, we demonstrate detection using a range of pore geometries. As a result, our assay model tolerates any pore-forming method and in-situ pore enlargement. Using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes modified for conjugation with synthetic bulk-adding molecules, pores ranging 15-50 nm in diameter are shown to detect individual PNA-bound DNA. Detection of the CFTRΔF508 gene mutation, a codon deletion responsible for ∼66% of all cystic fibrosis chromosomes, is demonstrated with a 26-36 nm pore size range by using a size-enhanced PNA probe. A mathematical framework for assessing the statistical significance of detection is also presented.

A patch-clamp ASIC for nanopore-based DNA analysis.

In this paper, a fully integrated high-sensitivity patch-clamp system is proposed for single-molecule deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis using a nanopore sensor. This system is composed of two main blocks for amplification and compensation. The amplification block is composed of three stages: 1) a headstage, 2) a voltage-gain difference amplifier, and 3) a track-and-hold circuit, that amplify a minute ionic current variation sensed by the nanopore while the compensation block avoids the headstage saturation caused by the input parasitic capacitances during sensing. By employing design techniques novel for this application, such as an instrumentation--amplifier topology and a compensation switch, we minimize the deleterious effects of the input-offset voltage and the input parasitic capacitances while attaining hardware simplicity. This system is fabricated in a 0.35 µm 4M2P CMOS process and is demonstrated using an α-hemolysin protein nanopore for detection of individual molecules of single-stranded DNA that pass through the 1.5 nm-diameter pore. In future work, the refined system will functionalize single and multiple solid-state nanopores formed in integrated microfluidic devices for advanced DNA analysis, in scientific and diagnostic applications.

Error analysis of idealized nanopore sequencing.

This numerical study provides an error analysis of an idealized nanopore sequencing method in which ionic current measurements are used to sequence intact single-stranded DNA in the pore, while an enzyme controls DNA motion. Examples of systematic channel errors when more than one nucleotide affects the current amplitude are detailed, which if present will persist regardless of coverage. Absent such errors, random errors associated with tracking through homopolymer regions are shown to necessitate reading known sequences (Escherichia coli K-12) at least 140 times to achieve 99.99% accuracy (Q40). By exploiting the ability to reread each strand at each pore in an array, arbitrary positioning on an error rate versus throughput tradeoff curve is possible if systematic errors are absent, with throughput governed by the number of pores in the array and the enzyme turnover rate.

Measuring and modeling the kinetics of individual DNA-DNA polymerase complexes on a nanopore.

The assembly of a DNA-DNA polymerase binary complex is the precursory step in genome replication, in which the enzyme binds to the 3' junction created when a primer binds to its complementary substrate. In this study, we use an active control method for observing the binding interaction between Klenow fragment (exo-) (KF) in the bulk-phase chamber above an α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore and a single DNA molecule tethered noncovalently in the nanopore. Specifically, the control method regulates the temporal availability of the primer-template DNA to KF binding and unbinding above the nanopore, on millisecond-to-second time scales. Our nanopore measurements support a model that incorporates two mutually exclusive binding states of KF to DNA at the primer-template junction site, termed "weakly bound" and "strongly bound" states. The composite binding affinity constant, the equilibrium constant between the weak and strong states, and the unbound-to-strong association rate are quantified from the data using derived modeling analysis. The results support that the strong state is in the nucleotide incorporation pathway, consistent with other nanopore assays. Surprisingly, the measured unbound-to-strong association process does not fit a model that admits binding of only free (unbound) KF to the tethered DNA but does fit an association rate that is proportional to the total (unbound and DNA-bound) KF concentration in the chamber above the nanopore. Our method provides a tool for measuring pre-equilibrium kinetics one molecule at a time, serially and for tens of thousands of single-molecule events, and can be used for other polynucleotide-binding enzymes.

Detecting single-abasic residues within a DNA strand immobilized in a biological nanopore using an integrated CMOS sensor.

In this paper, we demonstrate the application of a novel current-measuring sensor (CMS) customized for nanopore applications. The low-noise CMS is fabricated in a 0.35µm CMOS process and is implemented in experiments involving DNA captured in an α-hemolysin (α-HL) nanopore. Specifically, the CMS is used to build a current amplitude map as a function of varying positions of a single-abasic residue within a homopolymer cytosine single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) that is captured and held in the pore. Each ssDNA is immobilized using a biotin-streptavidin linkage. Five different DNA templates are measured and compared: one all-cytosine ssDNA, and four with a single-abasic residue substitution that resides in or near the ~1.5nm aperture of the α-HL channel when the strand is immobilized. The CMOS CMS is shown to resolves the ~5Å displacements of the abasic residue within the varying templates. The demonstration represents an advance in application-specific circuitry that is optimized for small-footprint nanopore applications, including genomic sequencing.

Recent advances in nanopore sequencing.

The prospect of nanopores as a next-generation sequencing platform has been a topic of growing interest and considerable government-sponsored research for more than a decade. Oxford Nanopore Technologies recently announced the first commercial nanopore sequencing devices, to be made available by the end of 2012, while other companies (Life, Roche, and IBM) are also pursuing nanopore sequencing approaches. In this paper, the state of the art in nanopore sequencing is reviewed, focusing on the most recent contributions that have or promise to have next-generation sequencing commercial potential. We consider also the scalability of the circuitry to support multichannel arrays of nanopores in future sequencing devices, which is critical to commercial viability.

Measuring single-molecule DNA hybridization by active control of DNA in a nanopore.

We present a novel application of active voltage control of DNA captured in a nanopore to regulate the amount of time the DNA is available to molecules in the bulk phase that bind to the DNA. In this work, the control method is used to measure hybridization between a single molecule of DNA captured in a nanopore and complementary oligonucleotides in the bulk phase. We examine the effect of oligonucleotide length on hybridization, and the effect of DNA length heterogeneity on the measurements. Using a mathematical model, we are able to deduce the binding rate of complementary oligonucleotides, even when DNA samples in experiments are affected by heterogeneity in length. We analyze the lifetime distribution of DNA duplexes that are formed in the bulk phase and then pulled against the pore by reversing the voltage. The lifetime distribution reveals several dissociation modes. It remains to be resolved whether these dissociation modes are due to DNA heterogeneity or correspond to different states of duplex DNA. The control method is unique in its ability to detect single-molecule complex assembly in the bulk phase, free from external force and with a broad (millisecond-to-second) temporal range.

Portable nanoparticle quantization using a resizable nanopore instrument - the IZON qNano™.

This paper demonstrates initial results with a novel instrument for nanoparticle detection and quantization, called the "qNano." The qNano instrument provides a label-free method for detection of charged particles passing through a nanopore (a nanopore scale channel that separates two volumes) via electrophoresis. The instrument incorporates an elastomeric membrane in which a nano-scale pore has been produced by mechanical puncturing, and stretching of the membrane allows control of the nanopore size. Trans-membrane voltage drives electrophoresis and particle translocations through the nanopore, as measured by the ionic current that flows through the pore. Pressure control is also available to increase the rates of capture and translocation. We demonstrate quantization of liposome and polystyrene particles ranging from 200-400 nm. Capture rate (translocation events per second) is shown to be linear with respect to applied pressure and membrane stretching distance. Additionally, translocation event amplitude is shown to decrease with increasing pressure, but remains invariant to changes in the membrane stretching distance.

An integrated, low noise patch-clamp amplifier for biological nanopore applications.

We present an integrated, low noise patch-clamp amplifier for biological nanopore applications. Our amplifier consists of an integrator-differentiator architecture coupled with a novel opamp design in the CMOS 0.35 µm process. The post-layout full-chip simulation shows the input referred noise of the amplifier is 0.49 pA RMS over a 5 kHz bandwidth using a verified electrical model for the biological nanopore system. In our biological nanopore experiments studying protein-DNA interactions, we encounter capacitive transients with a nominal settling time of 5 ms. Our amplifier design reduces the settling time to 0.2 ms, without requiring any compensation circuitry.

Electronic control of DNA polymerase binding and unbinding to single DNA molecules.

DNA polymerases catalyze template-dependent genome replication. The assembly of a high affinity ternary complex between these enzymes, the double strand-single strand junction of their DNA substrate, and the deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) complementary to the first template base in the polymerase active site is essential to this process. We present a single molecule method for iterative measurements of DNA-polymerase complex assembly with high temporal resolution, using active voltage control of individual DNA substrate molecules tethered noncovalently in an alpha-hemolysin nanopore. DNA binding states of the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (KF) were diagnosed based upon their ionic current signature, and reacted to with submillisecond precision to execute voltage changes that controlled exposure of the DNA substrate to KF and dNTP. Precise control of exposure times allowed measurements of DNA-KF complex assembly on a time scale that superimposed with the rate of KF binding. Hundreds of measurements were made with a single tethered DNA molecule within seconds, and dozens of molecules can be tethered within a single experiment. This approach allows statistically robust analysis of the assembly of complexes between DNA and RNA processing enzymes and their substrates at the single molecule level.

Feedback control of a DNA molecule tethered in a nanopore to repeatedly probe DNA-binding enzymes.

This paper demonstrates feedback voltage control of a single DNA molecule tethered in a biological nanopore. The nanopore device monitors ionic current through a single protein pore inserted in a lipid bilayer. The limiting aperture of the pore is just sufficient (1.5 nm diameter) to accommodate single-stranded DNA. The tethered DNA is double stranded on each end, with a single stranded segment that traverses the pore. Voltage control is used to regulate the motion of the tethered DNA, for repeated capture and subsequent voltage-promoted dissociation of DNA-binding enzymes above the nanopore. In initial experiments using the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, control of 8 independent tethered DNA molecules yielded 337 dissociation events in a period of 380 seconds. The resulting distribution of DNA-protein dissociation times can be used to model the free energy profile of dissociation. Moreover, the approach is applicable to numerous enzymes that bind or modify DNA or RNA including exonucleases, kinases, and other polymerases.

Sequence-specific detection of individual DNA polymerase complexes in real time using a nanopore.

Nanoscale pores have potential to be used as biosensors and are an established tool for analysing the structure and composition of single DNA or RNA molecules. Recently, nanopores have been used to measure the binding of enzymes to their DNA substrates. In this technique, a polynucleotide bound to an enzyme is drawn into the nanopore by an applied voltage. The force exerted on the charged backbone of the polynucleotide by the electric field is used to examine the enzyme-polynucleotide interactions. Here we show that a nanopore sensor can accurately identify DNA templates bound in the catalytic site of individual DNA polymerase molecules. Discrimination among unbound DNA, binary DNA/polymerase complexes, and ternary DNA/polymerase/deoxynucleotide triphosphate complexes was achieved in real time using finite state machine logic. This technique is applicable to numerous enzymes that bind or modify DNA or RNA including exonucleases, kinases and other polymerases.