Long-range charge transport in single G-quadruplex DNA molecules

Gideon I. Livshits, Avigail Stern, Dvir Rotem, Natalia Borovok, Gennady Eidelshtein, Agostino Migliore, Erika Penzo, Shalom J. Wind, Rosa Di Felice, Spiros S. Skourtis, Juan Carlos Cuevas, Leonid Gurevich, Alexander B. Kotlyar, Danny Porath

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

221 Scopus citations

Abstract

DNA and DNA-based polymers are of interest in molecular electronics because of their versatile and programmable structures. However, transport measurements have produced a range of seemingly contradictory results due to differences in the measured molecules and experimental set-ups, and transporting significant current through individual DNA-based molecules remains a considerable challenge. Here, we report reproducible charge transport in guanine-quadruplex (G4) DNA molecules adsorbed on a mica substrate. Currents ranging from tens of picoamperes to more than 100 pA were measured in the G4-DNA over distances ranging from tens of nanometres to more than 100 nm. Our experimental results, combined with theoretical modelling, suggest that transport occurs via a thermally activated long-range hopping between multi-tetrad segments of DNA. These results could re-ignite interest in DNA-based wires and devices, and in the use of such systems in the development of programmable circuits.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1040-1046
Number of pages7
JournalNature Nanotechnology
Volume9
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2014

Funding

FundersFunder number
European CommissionIST?2001-38951
European Science Foundation
European Science Foundation COSTMP0802
Institute for Advanced Studies of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Israel Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
Office of Naval Research
National Science FoundationCHE-1057953
Office of Naval ResearchN00014-09-1-1117
European CommissionIST–2001-38951, FP6-029192, FP7-ERC 226628
United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation2006422
Israel Science Foundation1145/10, 1589/14
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

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