An autonomous molecular computer for logical control of gene expression

Yaakov Benenson, Binyamin Gil, Uri Ben-Dor, Rivka Adar and Ehud Shapiro ()
Additional contact information
Yaakov Benenson: Weizmann Institute of Science
Binyamin Gil: Weizmann Institute of Science
Uri Ben-Dor: Weizmann Institute of Science
Rivka Adar: Weizmann Institute of Science
Ehud Shapiro: Weizmann Institute of Science

Nature, 2004, vol. 429, issue 6990, 423-429

Abstract: Abstract Early biomolecular computer research focused on laboratory-scale, human-operated computers for complex computational problems1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Recently, simple molecular-scale autonomous programmable computers were demonstrated8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 allowing both input and output information to be in molecular form. Such computers, using biological molecules as input data and biologically active molecules as outputs, could produce a system for ‘logical’ control of biological processes. Here we describe an autonomous biomolecular computer that, at least in vitro, logically analyses the levels of messenger RNA species, and in response produces a molecule capable of affecting levels of gene expression. The computer operates at a concentration of close to a trillion computers per microlitre and consists of three programmable modules: a computation module, that is, a stochastic molecular automaton12,13,14,15,16,17; an input module, by which specific mRNA levels or point mutations regulate software molecule concentrations, and hence automaton transition probabilities; and an output module, capable of controlled release of a short single-stranded DNA molecule. This approach might be applied in vivo to biochemical sensing, genetic engineering and even medical diagnosis and treatment. As a proof of principle we programmed the computer to identify and analyse mRNA of disease-related genes18,19,20,21,22 associated with models of small-cell lung cancer and prostate cancer, and to produce a single-stranded DNA molecule modelled after an anticancer drug.

Date: 2004
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02551 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

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:nature:v:429:y:2004:i:6990:d:10.1038_nature02551

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

DOI: 10.1038/nature02551

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

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