For the first time, DNA and proteins sensed by de novo-designed nanopore

Researchers in Japan have designed the first bottom-up designed peptides, comprising chains of amino acids, that can form artificial nanopores to identify and enable single molecule-sorting of genetic material in a lipid membrane.

Biological nanopores are generally channels made by pore-forming proteins, that can detect specific molecules, but such natural channels are difficult to identify, limiting proposed applications in low-cost, speedy DNA sequencing, small molecule detection and more.

"Nanopore sensing is a powerful tool for label-free, single-molecule detection," said corresponding author Ryuji Kawano, professor in Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) in Japan. "This is the first time that DNA and polypeptides were sensed using a de novo-designed nanopore."

The de novo-designed nanopores are built "from scratch," according to Kawano, and have the potential to mimic natural proteins and their ability to detect specific proteins. Crucially, Kawano said, they can also be engineered to act as artificial molecular machines capable of detecting a much wider range of molecules – which may help elucidate the connection between structure and function in target proteins.

For the next steps, the team plans to design various peptides and proteins to construct different types of nanopores to aid in peptide sequencing, operate as molecular robots, and more.