Transport of Long Neutral Polymers in the Semidilute Regime through a Protein Nanopore

International audienceWe investigate the entrance of single poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains into an α-Hemolysin channel. We detect the frequency and duration of the current blockades induced by large neutral polymers, where chain radius is larger than pore diameter. In the semi-dilute regime, these chains pass only if the monomer concentration is larger than a well-defined threshold. Experiments are performed in a very large domain of concentration and molecular mass, up to 35% and 200 kDa respectively, previously unexplored. The variation of the dwell time as a function of molecular mass shows that the chains are extracted from the semi-dilute solution in contact with the pore by a reptation mechanism

DNA Unzipping and Protein Unfolding Using Nanopores

International audienc