Electronic signature of DNA nucleotides via transverse transport

TL;DR

This study theoretically demonstrates that transverse charge transport measurements can distinguish individual DNA nucleotides based on their electronic signatures, potentially enabling single-molecule DNA sequencing.

Contribution

The paper introduces a theoretical approach showing that nucleotide-specific electronic signatures can be detected via transverse transport, independent of neighboring bases.

Findings

Each nucleotide has a unique electronic signature detectable by transverse transport.

Most nucleotides, except G and C, show significant conductance differences across various orientations.

Potential for sequencing single-stranded DNA by scanning with conducting probes.

Abstract

We report theoretical studies of charge transport in single-stranded DNA in the direction perpendicular to the backbone axis. We find that, if the electrodes which sandwich the DNA have the appropriate spatial width, each nucleotide carries a unique signature due to the different electronic and chemical structure of the four bases. This signature is independent of the nearest-neighbor nucleotides. Furthermore, except for the nucleotides with Guanine and Cytosine bases, we find that the difference in conductance of the nucleotides is large for most orientations of the bases with respect to the electrodes. By exploiting these differences it may be possible to sequence single-stranded DNA by scanning its length with conducting probes.