Lipid bilayer membrane technologies: A review on single-molecule studies of DNA sequencing by using membrane nanopores

Abstract

Nanopores based on α-hemolysin and MspA represent attractive sensing platforms due to easy production and operation with relatively low background noise. Such characteristics make them highly favorable for sequencing nucleic acids. Artificial lipid bilayer membranes, also referred to as black lipid membranes, in conjunction with membrane nanopores, can be applied to both the detection and highly efficient sequencing of DNA on a single-molecule level. However, the inherently weak physical properties of the membrane have impeded progress in these areas. Current issues impeding the ultimate recognition of the artificial lipid bilayer as a viable platform for detection and sequencing of DNA include membrane stability, lifespan, and automation. This review (with 107 references) highlights attempts to improve the attributes of the artificial lipid bilayer membrane starting with an overview on the present state and limitations. The first, main section covers lipid bilayer membranes (BLM) in general. The following section reviews the various kinds of lipid bilayer membrane platforms with subsections on polymer membranes, solid-supported membranes, hydrogel-encapsulated membranes, shippable and storable membrane platforms, and droplet interface bilayers. A further section covers engineered biological nanopore sensor applications using BLMs with subsections offering a comparative view of different DNA sequencing methods, a detailed look at DNA Sequencing by synthesis using alpha-hemolysin nanopores, sequencing by synthesis using the MspA nanopore and quadromer map, and on limitations of sequencing based on synthesis technology. We present an outlook at the end that discusses current research trends on single-molecule sequencing to highlight the significance of this technology and its potential in the medical and environmental fields.

Surface Energy and Separation Mechanics of Droplet Interface Phospholipid Bilayers

“…From the governing equations, we also showed that the separation velocity scales with the square of the initial bilayer radius and that the bilayer decay magnitude scales inversely with initial bilayer radius -the rationale for increasing relaxation times and bilayer decay magnitudes observed in the experiments. These results improve our understanding of bilayer separation mechanics under step strain and supplements the scientific efforts aimed at characterizing separation mechanics of bilayers under different separation modes [3,22,31,37].…”

“…The phospholipid bilayer is an important component of cell membrane that regulates material transport in a wide range of conditions [1][2][3]. It was first extracted and identified by Gorter and Grendel in 1925 [4].…”

Increased dwell time and occurrence of dsDNA translocation events through solid state nanopores by LiCl concentration gradients

“…Nanopore technology has the potential for detecting and characterizing biomolecules including DNA , RNA and proteins , viruses , and polysaccharides . As biomolecules pass through the nanopore, they cause ionic current blockages, which can be analyzed to characterize physical and chemical properties of the biomolecule .…”

Nanopore sensors for viral particle quantification: current progress and future prospects

“…Furthermore, the glass nanopore approach presents smaller bilayer capacitance and lower noise. Other reported methods for this purpose include using precast gels to protect the planar bilayer and polymerization of phospholipid bilayer membranes [ 66 ]. Bayley et al [ 67 ] used a planar phospholipid bilayer with an embedded single biological α-HL nanopore and inserted it between two agarose gel layers.…”