@article {69, title = {Stretching DNA using the electric field in a synthetic nanopore}, journal = {Nano Lett}, volume = {5}, year = {2005}, month = {2005 Oct}, pages = {1883-8}, abstract = {

The mechanical properties of DNA over segments comparable to the size of a protein-binding site (3-10 nm) are examined using an electric-field-induced translocation of single molecules through a nanometer diameter pore. DNA, immersed in an electrolyte, is forced through synthetic pores ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 nm in radius in a 10 nm thick Si(3)N(4) membrane using an electric field. To account for the stretching and bending, we use molecular dynamics to simulate the translocation. We have found a threshold for translocation that depends on both the dimensions of the pore and the applied transmembrane bias. The voltage threshold coincides with the stretching transition that occurs in double-stranded DNA near 60 pN.

}, keywords = {DNA, Nanotechnology, Static Electricity, Stress, Mechanical}, issn = {1530-6984}, doi = {10.1021/nl0510816}, author = {Jiunn B Heng and Aleksei Aksimentiev and Chuen Ho and Patrick Marks and Yelena V Grinkova and S Sligar and Klaus Schulten and Gregory Timp} }