Selective modification of polymer subunits to improve nanopore-based analysis

Abstract

The present disclosure provides method and systems for improving nanopore-based analyses of polymers. The disclosure provides methods for selectively modifying one or more monomeric subunit(s) of a kind a pre-analyte polymer that results polymer analyte with a modified subunit. The polymer analyte produces a detectable signal in a nanopore-based system. The detectable signal, and/or its deviation from a reference signal, indicates the location of the modified subunit in the polymer analyte and, thus, permits the identification of the subunit at that location in the original pre-analyte polymer.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A method for analyzing a polymer analyte, comprising:
 (a) translocating a polymer analyte comprising a modified subunit from a first conductive liquid medium to a second conductive liquid medium through a nanopore, wherein the nanopore provides liquid communication between the first conductive liquid medium and the second conductive liquid medium;   (b) measuring an ion current between the first conductive liquid medium and the second conductive liquid medium as the polymer analyte passes through the nanopore; and   (c) detecting the modified subunit based on the measured ion current.