Coupled Dynamics of RNA Folding and Nanopore Translocation

Abstract
The translocation of structured RNA or DNA molecules through narrow pores necessitates the opening of all base pairs. Here, we study the interplay between the dynamics of translocation and base pairing theoretically, using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and analytical methods. We find that the transient formation of base pairs that do not occur in the ground state can significantly speed up translocation.