Sequencing a DNA analog composed of artificial bases

Christopher A. Thomas, Henry Brinkerhoff, Jonathan M. Craig, Shuichi Hoshika, Desislava Mihaylova, Akira M. Pfeffer, Michaela C. Franzi, Sarah J. Abell, Jessica D. Carrasco, Jens H. Gundlach, Steven A. Benner and Andrew H. Laszlo ()
Additional contact information
Christopher A. Thomas: University of Washington
Henry Brinkerhoff: University of Washington
Jonathan M. Craig: University of Washington
Shuichi Hoshika: Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution
Desislava Mihaylova: University of Washington
Akira M. Pfeffer: University of Washington
Michaela C. Franzi: University of Washington
Sarah J. Abell: University of Washington
Jessica D. Carrasco: University of Washington
Jens H. Gundlach: University of Washington
Steven A. Benner: Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution
Andrew H. Laszlo: University of Washington

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract “ALternative Isoinformational ENgineered” (ALIEN) DNA is a biomimetic polymer composed of four entirely anthropogenic nucleotides. These alternative nucleosides form base pairs orthogonal to canonical bases and fold into the familiar B-form DNA double-helix, endowing ALIEN DNA with valuable biotechnological applications. The ability to sequence ALIEN DNA is essential for its continued development. However traditional sequencing approaches rely on chemical recognition of ACGT-DNA and cannot be easily adapted to ALIEN DNA. Here we demonstrate de novo nanopore sequencing of DNA comprised entirely of the four anthropogenic DNA bases. We show direct, label-free, single-molecule sequencing of such nucleic acids without the requirements of fluorescent labels, transliteration, amplification, or enzymatic synthesis. This paves the way for routine, accessible, and high-accuracy sequencing of DNA beyond A, C, G, and T.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61991-9 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-61991-9

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61991-9

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().