Tailoring <i>Vibrio</i> ‐Type Secretin Channel Protein GspD Toward “One‐Take” Dual‐Constriction Nanopore Sensors
Dual-constriction nanopores offer a second sensing region that enhances the interactions with analytes at the single-molecule level. However, existing biological nanopore complexes, i.e., CsgG-CsgF, are prone to dissociation upon high voltages, enforcing the development of robust "one-take" platforms. Here, Type II general secretin protein D from Vibrio cholerae (VcGspD) as a promising scaffold with dual-constrictions is proposed and engineered. Biochemical analysis reveals that truncation of the N0-N2 domains yields stable multimerization, with the N3 domain being essential. Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) resolves the truncated VcGspD (N0-N2) as a 15-mer architecture, confirming its structural integrity and determining localizations of P471 and F472. By introducing a point mutation at position 346 (S346C) and conjugating cholesterol-maleimide, stable channel insertion in lipid bilayers is achieved. Electrophysiological characterization demonstrates a predominantly low-conductance dual-constriction architecture with constriction diameters of ≈2 nm both at the cap and central constriction sites. The F472A mutation, together with the mutations on both constrictions, gives rise to convergent open-channel current and confers high-voltage stability, thus enabling efficient sensing of both single-stranded DNA and polypeptides. The findings establish VcGspD as a promising platform toward dual-constriction nanopore sensing, paving the way for advancements in the development and engineering of secretin channels.
Authors
- Xinrong Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9532-0506)
- Jing Dai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5969-6063)
- Zhuofei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3583-1272)
- Wenfu Lin
- Qiulan Wu
- Fu Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4385-2011)
- Yi Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6134-3117)
- Kuo Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2875-2581)
- Xin Dai
- Qishun Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4325-8250)
- Ronghui Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7763-8766)
Institutions
- Guangdong Medical College (CN)
- Southern University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Shenzhen Children's Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-10-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202505878
- Primary Topic
- Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
- Southern University of Science and Technology