Method and device for identifying nucleotide, and method and device for determining nucleotide sequence of polynucleotide
First Claim
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1. A method for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule, comprising:
- (a) providing a solid substrate comprising a pair of electrodes that at least partially define a gap, wherein said gap has a distance that is less than a molecular diameter of said nucleic acid molecule;
(b) moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap;
(c) detecting pulses of a tunnel current across said gap using said pair of electrodes, which pulses correspond to individual nucleic acid subunits of said nucleic acid molecule;
(d) calculating a modal value of current of said pulses detected in (c); and
(e) comparing said modal value calculated in (d) against a reference value to identify an individual nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule.
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Abstract
The present invention provides technology that uses current measurements to identify nucleotides and determine a nucleotide sequence in polynucleotides. The present invention calculates a modal value of a tunnel current that arises when a nucleotide or polynucleotide for analysis passes through between electrodes, and then employs the calculated modal value. The present invention accordingly enables direct rapid implementation to identify nucleotides and to determine a nucleotide sequence in a polynucleotide without marking.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule, comprising:
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(a) providing a solid substrate comprising a pair of electrodes that at least partially define a gap, wherein said gap has a distance that is less than a molecular diameter of said nucleic acid molecule; (b) moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap; (c) detecting pulses of a tunnel current across said gap using said pair of electrodes, which pulses correspond to individual nucleic acid subunits of said nucleic acid molecule; (d) calculating a modal value of current of said pulses detected in (c); and (e) comparing said modal value calculated in (d) against a reference value to identify an individual nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for nucleic acid sequencing, comprising:
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(a) providing a solid substrate comprising a pair of electrodes that at least partially define a gap, wherein said gap has a distance that is less than a molecular diameter of said nucleic acid molecule, and wherein said pair of electrodes comprises individual electrodes that are adapted to detect individual nucleic acid subunits of said nucleic acid molecule upon the movement of said nucleic acid molecule through said gap; (b) moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap; (c) while moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap, detecting pulses of a tunnel current across said gap using said pair of electrodes, which pulses correspond to an individual nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule; and (d) using said pulses detected in (c), determining a nucleic acid sequence of said nucleic acid molecule. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule, comprising:
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(a) providing a solid substrate comprising a pair of electrodes that at least partially define a gap, wherein said gap has a distance that is from about 0.5 times to less than a molecular diameter of a given nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule; (b) moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap; (c) while moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap, detecting pulses of a current across said gap using said pair of electrodes; (d) using a duration and current level associated with said pulses detected in (c), identifying individual nucleic acid subunits of said nucleic acid molecule; and (e) from said nucleic acid subunits identified in (d), determining a nucleic acid sequence of said nucleic acid molecule. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule, comprising:
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(a) providing a solid substrate comprising a pair of electrodes that at least partially define a gap, wherein said gap has a distance that is less than a molecular diameter of said nucleic acid molecule; (b) moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap; (c) while moving said nucleic acid molecule through said gap, detecting pulses of a tunnel current across said gap using said pair of electrodes; (d) fitting said pulses to a given function that has a peak value of current, wherein said given function corresponds to an individual nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule; and (e) comparing said given function against a reference to identify said individual nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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- 28. A method for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule, comprising (i) moving said nucleic acid molecule through a gap at least partially defined by an electrode pair in a solid substrate, which gap is dimensioned such that tunnel current across said gap is at the picoampere level under an applied voltage from about 0.25 V to 0.75 V, and (ii) reading signals indicative of said tunnel current at a frequency greater than about 1 kHz, thereby identifying individual nucleic acid subunits of said nucleic acid molecule.
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34. A system for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule, comprising:
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a solid substrate comprising a pair of electrodes that at least partially define a gap, wherein said gap has a distance that is less than a molecular diameter of said nucleic acid molecule; and a calculation unit coupled to said pair of electrodes, wherein said calculation unit (i) uses said pair of electrodes to detect pulses of a tunnel current that correspond to individual nucleic acid subunits of said nucleic acid molecule, (ii) calculates a modal value of current of said pulses, and (iii) compares said modal value against a reference value to identify an individual nucleic acid subunit of said nucleic acid molecule. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification