Translocation of a polymer through a nanopore modulated by a sticky site.

Using a one-dimensional model for the translocation of a polymer through a nanopore, the effect of a "sticky site" at which the polymer binds to the pore is explored via exact numerical techniques. Results for the mean translocation time and the probability of translocation on the insertion of the first monomer in the pore are generated across a wide range of driving forces and binding potential strengths (well depths). The balance between the driving force, diffusion, and well depth yields a rich set of dynamics that depend strongly on where the sticky site is located along the polymer. For example, when the sticky site is located near the head of the polymer, the translocation time is found to be a maximum at an intermediate driving force with events at lower driving forces taking less time. Additionally, the critical well depth at which the sticky site dominates the dynamics, is found to be a non-monotonic function of the driving force when the sticky site is located at the head or tail of the polymer, but not in the middle. Modeling of the process yields good agreement with simulation results.