Aerolysin Nanopores for Single-Molecule Analysis.

Abstract

Biological nanopores have become powerful tools for single-molecule analysis in many fields, including metal ion detection, single-molecule chemistry, polymer size discrimination, nucleic acid sequencing, and protein/peptide/glycan analysis. Among all biological nanopores, aerolysin is considered one of the most promising nanopores for analytical applications. It is a heptameric β-barrel pore-forming toxin (β-PFT) secreted by Aeromonas, featuring a narrow, elongated β-barrel lumen composed of highly charged amino acids. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of biological nanopores in molecular sensing, sequencing, and their applications in solving biophysical questions, with a focus on aerolysin nanopores.