Potential Dependence of DNA Translocation Check Access

Current biological nanopores like α-haemolysin and Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MSPA) have inner diameters of 1.4 nm and 1 nm at their smallest constriction, respectively. Therefore, only single-stranded DNA can pass through these channels which exclude translocating molecules of the size of dsDNA or protein-DNA complexes. On the other hand, solid-state nanopores are robust and have access to the large field of chip manufacturing techniques since they are made out of semiconductor materials. Nevertheless, if the goal is to detect dsDNA molecules and their folding state with a cost-effective bench top technique glass nanocapillaries are an interesting alternative.