Aerolysin Nanopore Electrochemistry

作者：Jun‐Ge Li, Yi‐Lun Ying, Yi‐Tao Long · 发表于：Accounts of Chemical Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00630 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies、Ion-surface interactions and analysis、Electrochemical Analysis and Applications

Conspectus Ions are the crucial signaling components for living organisms. In cells, their transportation across pore-forming membrane proteins is vital for regulating physiological functions, such as generating ionic current signals in response to target molecule recognition. This ion transport is affected by confined interactions and local environments within the protein pore. Therefore, the pore-forming protein can efficiently transduce the characteristics of each target molecule into ion-transport-mediated signals with high sensitivity. Inspired by nature, various protein pores have been developed into high-throughput and label-free nanopore sensors for single-molecule detection, enabling rapid and accurate readouts. In particular, aerolysin, a key virulence factor of Aeromonas hydrophila, exhibits a high sensitivity in generating ionic current fingerprints for detecting subtle differences in the sequence, conformation, and structure of DNA, proteins, polypeptides, oligosaccharides, and other molecules. Aerolysin features a cap that is approximately 14 nm wide on the cis side and a central pore that is about 10 nm long with a minimum diameter of around 1 nm. Its long lumen, with 11 charged rings at two entrances and neutral amino acids in between, facilitates the dwelling of the single analyte within the pore. This characteristic enables rich interactions between the well-defined residues within the pore and the analyte. As a result, the ionic current signal offers a uniq...