Detection and mapping of DNA methylation with 2D material nanopores

Abstract

Epigenetics: DNA methylation electronically detected by 2D nanopores As one the most common epigenetic modifications in eukaryotic genomes, DNA methylation plays a crucial role in the expression of genes in mammalian cells. It holds great promise as a biomarker to investigate cell development and aging, and to be used in risk assessment and early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer. A team lead by Jean–Pierre Leburton at the University of Illinois in the USA shows by numerical simulation that the use of a few angstrom wide nanopores in a tri-atomic membrane of semiconducting molybdenum di-sulfide (MoS2) offers a powerful way to detect and map electronically and with high resolution the presence of individual methyl groups on a DNA molecule, thereby paving the way towards fast and low-cost DNA sequencing techniques for personal medicine.