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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution
Published on: August 16, 2016
Controlling protein translocation through nanopores with bio-inspired fluid walls
Erik C Yusko1, Jay M Johnson, Sheereen Majd
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Abstract:
Synthetic nanopores have been used to study individual biomolecules in high throughput, but their performance as sensors does not match that of biological ion channels. Challenges include control of nanopore diameters and surface chemistry, modification of the translocation times of single-molecule analytes through nanopores, and prevention of non-specific interactions with pore walls. Here, inspired by the olfactory sensilla of insect antennae, we show that coating nanopores with a fluid lipid bilayer tailors their surface chemistry and allows fine-tuning and dynamic variation of pore diameters in subnanometre increments. Incorporation of mobile ligands in the lipid bilayer conferred specificity and slowed the translocation of targeted proteins sufficiently to time-resolve translocation events of individual proteins. Lipid coatings also prevented pores from clogging, eliminated non-specific binding and enabled the translocation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers and fibrils. Through combined analysis of their translocation time, volume, charge, shape and ligand affinity, different proteins were identified.
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