Msp nanopores and uses thereof

1. A method for determining the identity of an analyte, comprising:

a) applying an electric field sufficient to translocate an analyte from a first conductive medium to a second conductive medium in liquid communication through a mutant Mycobacterium smegmatis porin (Msp), wherein the mutant Msp comprises a vestibule and a constriction zone that define a tunnel, and wherein the mutant Msp is a mutant single chain Msp encoded by a nucleic acid sequence comprising:

(i) a first and second nucleotide sequence, wherein the first nucleotide sequence encodes a first Msp monomer sequence and the second nucleotide sequence encodes a second Msp monomer sequence; and

(ii) a third nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acid linker sequence that links the first and second nucleotide sequence, wherein at least one of the first and second Msp monomer sequences is a mutant Msp monomer sequence, wherein the mutant Msp monomer sequence has at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 1 and wherein the mutant Msp monomer sequence comprises a P97F mutation; and

b) measuring an ion current, thereby producing a current pattern in the measured ion current, wherein a 5% or more reduction in the ion current for at least 1.0 μs, compared to an ion current level for the Msp without an analyte present, indicates the presence of the analyte in the first medium; and

c) determining the identity of the analyte by comparing the current pattern to a reference current pattern obtained using a known analyte.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mutant Msp further comprises a molecular motor, wherein the molecular motor is capable of moving an analyte into or through the tunnel with an average translocation velocity that is less than the average translocation velocity at which the analyte electrophoretically translocates into or through the tunnel in the absence of the molecular motor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a reduction in the current defines a blockade in the current pattern, and wherein identifying the analyte comprises comparing one or more blockades in the current pattern to one or more blockades in the reference current pattern obtained using a known analyte.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the analyte is a nucleotide, a nucleic acid, an amino acid, a peptide, a protein, a polymer, a drug, an ion, a pollutant, a nanoscopic object, or a biological warfare agent.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the analyte is a polymer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the polymer is a protein, a peptide or a nucleic acid.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the polymer is a nucleic acid.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nucleic acid is ssDNA, dsDNA, RNA, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising identifying one or more units of the polymer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein identifying one or more units of the polymer comprises comparing one or more blockades in the current pattern to one or more blockades in a current pattern obtained using a polymer having known units.