Aptamer method

1. A multiplex assay method for determining the presence of at least one oligonucleotide aptamer bound to an analyte member of a group of two or more analytes, the method comprising:

(a) contacting a solution with a transmembrane pore, a group of two or more non-nucleic acid analytes, and a plurality of oligonucleotide aptamers, each aptamer being folded into a three-dimensional structure;

wherein each oligonucleotide aptamer in the plurality specifically binds to one of the non-nucleic acid analyte members of the group;

wherein each oligonucleotide aptamer in the plurality is conjugated to a linear polymer tail, wherein each linear polymer tail that is conjugated to an oligonucleotide aptamer in the plurality is different than each other linear polymer tail that is conjugated to an oligonucleotide aptamer in the plurality, and wherein each linear polymer tail enters the pore and affects current flow through the pore;

(b) applying an electrical potential across the pore, wherein at least two linear polymer tails each conjugated to a different oligonucleotide aptamer each enter the pore, in succession, and each affects current flow through the pore;

wherein movement of each linear polymer tail through the pore produces a distinct current flow that is different than current flow through the pore produced by the other linear polymer tails, and each oligonucleotide aptamer unfolds under the influence of the potential and then moves through the pore after its linear polymer tail;

(c) successively measuring current flowing through the pore as each linear polymer tail of step (b) enters the pore and each oligonucleotide aptamer unfolds under the influence of the potential and then moves through the pore after its linear polymer tail; and

(d) determining the presence of at least one oligonucleotide aptamer bound to a non-nucleic acid analyte member of the group of two or more non-nucleic acid analytes based on the distinct current flow through the pore caused by the linear polymer tail of step (b) and each oligonucleotide aptamer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each tail comprises a linear polypeptide.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each tail is a linear, single-stranded polynucleotide.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein each liner, single-stranded polynucleotide tail comprises a polynucleotide barcode.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each oligonucleotide aptamer or polymer tail comprises a reactive coupling group.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the reactive coupling group is cholesterol.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-nucleic acid analyte members are independently selected from amino acids, peptides, polypeptides, and proteins.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each tail is a linear, single-stranded polynucleotide from 7 to 70 nucleotides in length.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmembrane pore comprises a vestibule and a barrel.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the transmembrane protein pore is an α-hemolysin, leucocidin, Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA), outer membrane phospholipase A, or Neisseria autotransporter lipoprotein (NalP).

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein:

(a) the barrel is sufficiently narrow that a double-stranded polynucleotide cannot pass through the transmembrane pore; or

(b) the vestibule and barrel are each long enough to contain at least two nucleotides; or

(c) the pore is a transmembrane protein pore or a solid state pore.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the transmembrane protein pore is:

(a) formed of seven identical subunits, wherein each subunit comprises the sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2; or

(b) a variant thereof in which one or more of the seven subunits has at least 50% homology to SEQ ID NO: 2 based on amino acid identify over the entire sequence and which retains pore activity; or

(c) α-hemolysin formed of four identical subunits as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4 and four identical subunits as shown in SEQ ID NO: 6; or

(d) a variant thereof in which one or more of the subunits has at least 50% homology to SEQ ID NO: 4 based on amino acid identity over the entire sequence and/or one or more of the subunits has at least 50% homology to SEQ ID NO: 6 based on amino acid identity over the entire sequence and the pore retains pore activity.