Web Release Date: November 28,
Identification of DNA Basepairing via Tunnel-Current Decay



and


Biodesign Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
Received October 10, 2007
Revised October 25, 2007

Abstract:
We propose a new approach for reading the sequence of a DNA molecule passing between electrodes on a nanopore, using hydrogen bond-mediated tunneling signals. The base-electrode interaction is modeled using a nucleo-base-functionalized STM probe that is pulled away from a nucleoside monolayer. Watson-Crick recognition results in slow decay of the tunnel current, which is uniquely characteristic of the basepair in over half the reads. Thirteen independent reads would yield the desired 99.99% accuracy.
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