Quantized biopolymer translocation through nanopores: departure from simple scaling

Abstract

We discuss multiscale simulations of long biopolymer translocation through wide nanopores that can accommodate multiple polymer strands. The simulations provide clear evidence of folding quantization, namely, the translocation proceeds through multi-folded configurations characterized by a well-defined integer number of folds. As a consequence, the translocation time acquires a dependence on the average folding number, which results in a deviation from the single-exponent power-law characterizing single-file translocation through narrow pores. The mechanism of folding quantization allows polymers above a threshold length (approximately $1,000$ persistence lengths for double-stranded DNA) to exhibit cooperative behavior and as a result to translocate noticeably faster.

6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. E (R)

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