1
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Rong Q, Deng Y, Chen F, Yin Z, Hu L, Su X, Zhou D. Polymerase-Based Signal Delay for Temporally Regulating DNA Involved Reactions, Programming Dynamic Molecular Systems, and Biomimetic Sensing. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2400142. [PMID: 38676334 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202400142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Complex temporal molecular signals play a pivotal role in the intricate biological pathways of living organisms, and cells exhibit the ability to transmit and receive information by intricately managing the temporal dynamics of their signaling molecules. Although biomimetic molecular networks are successfully engineered outside of cells, the capacity to precisely manipulate temporal behaviors remains limited. In this study, the catalysis activity of isothermal DNA polymerase (DNAP) through combined use of molecular dynamics simulation analysis and fluorescence assays is first characterized. DNAP-driven delay in signal strand release ranged from 100 to 102 min, which is achieved through new strategies including the introduction of primer overhangs, utilization of inhibitory reagents, and alteration of DNA template lengths. The results provide a deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms of temporal control DNAP-mediated primer extension and DNA strand displacement reactions. Then, the regulated DNAP catalysis reactions are applied in temporal modulation of downstream DNA-involved reactions, the establishment of dynamic molecular signals, and the generation of barcodes for multiplexed detection of target genes. The utility of DNAP-based signal delay as a dynamic DNA nanotechnology extends beyond theoretical concepts and achieves practical applications in the fields of cell-free synthetic biology and bionic sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinze Rong
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yingnan Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
- Sinopec Key Laboratory of Research and Application of Medical and Hygienic Materials, Sinopec (Beijing) Research Institute of Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100013, China
| | - Fangzhou Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Zhe Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Lingfei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Xin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Dongsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100071, China
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2
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Zhang M, Yancey C, Zhang C, Wang J, Ma Q, Yang L, Schulman R, Han D, Tan W. A DNA circuit that records molecular events. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn3329. [PMID: 38578999 PMCID: PMC10997190 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn3329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Characterizing the relative onset time, strength, and duration of molecular signals is critical for understanding the operation of signal transduction and genetic regulatory networks. However, detecting multiple such molecules as they are produced and then quickly consumed is challenging. A MER can encode information about transient molecular events as stable DNA sequences and are amenable to downstream sequencing or other analysis. Here, we report the development of a de novo molecular event recorder that processes information using a strand displacement reaction network and encodes the information using the primer exchange reaction, which can be decoded and quantified by DNA sequencing. The event recorder was able to classify the order at which different molecular signals appeared in time with 88% accuracy, the concentrations with 100% accuracy, and the duration with 75% accuracy. This simultaneous and highly programmable multiparameter recording could enable the large-scale deciphering of molecular events such as within dynamic reaction environments, living cells, or tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhi Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Colin Yancey
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Chao Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Intellinosis Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Junyan Wang
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Qian Ma
- Intellinosis Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Linlin Yang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Da Han
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Weihong Tan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
- Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
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3
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Huang C, Duan X, Guo Y, Li P, Sun J, Shao J, Wang Y. Molecular circuit for exponentiation based on the domain coding strategy. Front Genet 2024; 14:1331951. [PMID: 38323242 PMCID: PMC10845046 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1331951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
DNA strand displacement (DSD) is an efficient technology for constructing molecular circuits. However, system computing speed and the scale of logical gate circuits remain a huge challenge. In this paper, a new method of coding DNA domains is proposed to carry out logic computation. The structure of DNA strands is designed regularly, and the rules of domain coding are described. Based on this, multiple-input and one-output logic computing modules are built, which are the basic components forming digital circuits. If the module has n inputs, it can implement 2n logic functions, which reduces the difficulty of designing and simplifies the structure of molecular logic circuits. In order to verify the superiority of this method for developing large-scale complex circuits, the square root and exponentiation molecular circuits are built. Under the same experimental conditions, compared with the dual-track circuits, the simulation results show that the molecular circuits designed based on the domain coding strategy have faster response time, simpler circuit structure, and better parallelism and scalability. The method of forming digital circuits based on domain coding provides a more effective way to realize intricate molecular control systems and promotes the development of DNA computing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Huang
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Duan
- Zhengzhou Kechuang Electronics Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yifei Guo
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Panlong Li
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Junwei Sun
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiaying Shao
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanfeng Wang
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
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4
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Xiao Y, Lv H, Wang X. Implementation of an Ultrasensitive Biomolecular Controller for Enzymatic Reaction Processes With Delay Using DNA Strand Displacement. IEEE Trans Nanobioscience 2023; 22:967-977. [PMID: 37159315 DOI: 10.1109/tnb.2023.3274573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
In this article, a set of abstract chemical reactions has been employed to construct a novel nonlinear biomolecular controller, i.e, the Brink controller (BC) with direct positive autoregulation (DPAR) (namely BC-DPAR controller). In comparison to dual rail representation-based controllers such as the quasi sliding mode (QSM) controller, the BC-DPAR controller directly reduces the number of CRNs required for realizing an ultrasensitive input-output response because it does not involve the subtraction module, reducing the complexity of DNA implementations. Then, the action mechanism and steady-state condition constraints of two nonlinear controllers, BC-DPAR controller and QSM controller, are investigated further. Considering the mapping relationship between CRNs and DNA implementation, a CRNs-based enzymatic reaction process with delay is constructed, and a DNA strand displacement (DSD) scheme representing time delay is proposed. The BC-DPAR controller, when compared to the QSM controller, can reduce the number of abstract chemical reactions and DSD reactions required by 33.3% and 31.8%, respectively. Finally, an enzymatic reaction scheme with BC-DPAR controller is designed using DSD reactions. According to the findings, the enzymatic reaction process's output substance can approach the target level at a quasi-steady state in both delay-free and non-zero delay conditions, but the target level can only be achieved during a finite-time period, mainly due to the fuel stand depletion.
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5
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Bucci J, Irmisch P, Del Grosso E, Seidel R, Ricci F. Timed Pulses in DNA Strand Displacement Reactions. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:20968-20974. [PMID: 37710955 PMCID: PMC10540199 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by naturally occurring regulatory mechanisms that allow complex temporal pulse features with programmable delays, we demonstrate here a strategy to achieve temporally programmed pulse output signals in DNA-based strand displacement reactions (SDRs). To achieve this, we rationally designed input strands that, once bound to their target duplex, can be gradually degraded, resulting in a pulse output signal. We also designed blocker strands that suppress strand displacement and determine the time at which the pulse reaction is generated. We show that by controlling the degradation rate of blocker and input strands, we can finely control the delayed pulse output over a range of 10 h. We also prove that it is possible to orthogonally delay two different pulse reactions in the same solution by taking advantage of the specificity of the degradation reactions for the input and blocker strands. Finally, we show here two possible applications of such delayed pulse SDRs: the time-programmed pulse decoration of DNA nanostructures and the sequentially appearing and self-erasing formation of DNA-based patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Bucci
- Department
of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University
of Rome, Tor Vergata,
Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Patrick Irmisch
- Molecular
Biophysics Group, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erica Del Grosso
- Department
of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University
of Rome, Tor Vergata,
Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Ralf Seidel
- Molecular
Biophysics Group, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Francesco Ricci
- Department
of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University
of Rome, Tor Vergata,
Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
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6
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Sharma C, Samanta A, Schmidt RS, Walther A. DNA-Based Signaling Networks for Transient Colloidal Co-Assemblies. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:17819-17830. [PMID: 37543962 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c04807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Programmable chemical circuits inspired by signaling networks in living cells are a promising approach for the development of adaptive and autonomous self-assembling molecular systems and material functions. Progress has been made at the molecular level, but connecting molecular control circuits to self-assembling larger elements such as colloids that enable real-space studies and access to functional materials is sparse and can suffer from kinetic traps, flocculation, or difficult system integration protocols. Herein, we report a toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement reaction network capable of autonomously directing two different microgels into transient and self-regulating co-assemblies. The microgels are functionalized with DNA and become elemental components of the network. The flexibility of the circuit design allows the installation of delay phases or accelerators by chaining additional circuit modules upstream or downstream of the core circuit. The design provides an adaptable and robust route to regulate other building blocks for advanced biomimetic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charu Sharma
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Avik Samanta
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ricarda Sophia Schmidt
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Walther
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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7
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Zhang M, Sun Y. DNA-based customized functional modules for signal transformation. Front Chem 2023; 11:1140022. [PMID: 36864900 PMCID: PMC9971431 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1140022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Information on the temporal and spatial scale of cellular molecules in biological systems is crucial for estimating life processes and may be conducive to an improved understanding of disease progression. This intracellular and extracellular information is often difficult to obtain at the same time due to the limitations of accessibility and sensing throughput. DNA is an excellent material for in vivo and in vitro applications, and can be used to build functional modules that can transform bio-information (input) into ATCG sequence information (output). Due to their small volume and highly amenable programming, DNA-based functional modules provide an opportunity to monitor a range of information, from transient molecular events to dynamic biological processes. Over the past two decades, with the advent of customized strategies, a series of functional modules based on DNA networks have been designed to gather different information about molecules, including the identity, concentration, order, duration, location, and potential interactions; the action of these modules are based on the principle of kinetics or thermodynamics. This paper summarizes the available DNA-based functional modules that can be used for biomolecular signal sensing and transformation, reviews the available designs and applications of these modules, and assesses current challenges and prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhi Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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8
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Mayer T, Oesinghaus L, Simmel FC. Toehold-Mediated Strand Displacement in Random Sequence Pools. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:634-644. [PMID: 36571481 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD) has been used extensively for molecular sensing and computing in DNA-based molecular circuits. As these circuits grow in complexity, sequence similarity between components can lead to cross-talk, causing leak, altered kinetics, or even circuit failure. For small non-biological circuits, such unwanted interactions can be designed against. In environments containing a huge number of sequences, taking all possible interactions into account becomes infeasible. Therefore, a general understanding of the impact of sequence backgrounds on TMSD reactions is of great interest. Here, we investigate the impact of random DNA sequences on TMSD circuits. We begin by studying individual interfering strands and use the obtained data to build machine learning models that estimate kinetics. We then investigate the influence of pools of random strands and find that the kinetics are determined by only a small subpopulation of strongly interacting strands. Consequently, their behavior can be mimicked by a small collection of such strands. The equilibration of the circuit with the background sequences strongly influences this behavior, leading to up to 1 order of magnitude difference in reaction speed. Finally, we compare two established and one novel technique that speed up TMSD reactions in random sequence pools: a three-letter alphabet, protection of toeholds by intramolecular secondary structure, or by an additional blocking strand. While all of these techniques were useful, only the latter can be used without sequence constraints. We expect that our insights will be useful for the construction of TMSD circuits that are robust to molecular noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Mayer
- School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, TU Munich, D-85748Garching, Germany
| | - Lukas Oesinghaus
- School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, TU Munich, D-85748Garching, Germany
| | - Friedrich C Simmel
- School of Natural Sciences, Department of Bioscience, TU Munich, D-85748Garching, Germany
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9
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Chen C, Wen J, Wen Z, Song S, Shi X. DNA strand displacement based computational systems and their applications. Front Genet 2023; 14:1120791. [PMID: 36911397 PMCID: PMC9992816 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1120791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA computing has become the focus of computing research due to its excellent parallel processing capability, data storage capacity, and low energy consumption characteristics. DNA computational units can be precisely programmed through the sequence specificity and base pair principle. Then, computational units can be cascaded and integrated to form large DNA computing systems. Among them, DNA strand displacement (DSD) is the simplest but most efficient method for constructing DNA computing systems. The inputs and outputs of DSD are signal strands that can be transferred to the next unit. DSD has been used to construct logic gates, integrated circuits, artificial neural networks, etc. This review introduced the recent development of DSD-based computational systems and their applications. Some DSD-related tools and issues are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congzhou Chen
- School of Computer Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Jinda Wen
- Institute of Computing Science and Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhibin Wen
- Institute of Computing Science and Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sijie Song
- Institute of Computing Science and Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolong Shi
- Institute of Computing Science and Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
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10
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Landau J, Cuba Samaniego C, Giordano G, Franco E. Computational characterization of recombinase circuits for periodic behaviors. iScience 2022; 26:105624. [PMID: 36619981 PMCID: PMC9812718 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombinases are site-specific proteins found in nature that are capable of rearranging DNA. This function has made them promising gene editing tools in synthetic biology, as well as key elements in complex artificial gene circuits implementing Boolean logic. However, since DNA rearrangement is irreversible, it is still unclear how to use recombinases to build dynamic circuits like oscillators. In addition, this goal is challenging because a few molecules of recombinase are enough for promoter inversion, generating inherent stochasticity at low copy number. Here, we propose six different circuit designs for recombinase-based oscillators operating at a single copy number. We model them in a stochastic setting, leveraging the Gillespie algorithm for extensive simulations, and show that they can yield coherent periodic behaviors. Our results support the experimental realization of recombinase-based oscillators and, more generally, the use of recombinases to generate dynamic behaviors in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Landau
- California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Giulia Giordano
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Elisa Franco
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Corresponding author
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11
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Bucci J, Irmisch P, Del Grosso E, Seidel R, Ricci F. Orthogonal Enzyme-Driven Timers for DNA Strand Displacement Reactions. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:19791-19798. [PMID: 36257052 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c06599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Here, we demonstrate a strategy to rationally program a delayed onset of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement reactions (SDRs). The approach is based on blocker strands that efficiently inhibit the strand displacement by binding to the toehold domain of the target DNA. Specific enzymatic degradation of the blocker strand subsequently enables SDR. The kinetics of the blocker enzymatic degradation thus controls the time at which the SDR starts. By varying the concentration of the blocker strand and the concentration of the enzyme, we show that we can finely tune and modulate the delayed onset of SDR. Additionally, we show that the strategy is versatile and can be orthogonally controlled by different enzymes each specifically targeting a different blocker strand. We designed and established three different delayed SDRs using RNase H and two DNA repair enzymes (formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase and uracil-DNA glycosylase) and corresponding blockers. The achieved temporal delay can be programed with high flexibility without undesired leak and can be conveniently predicted using kinetic modeling. Finally, we show three possible applications of the delayed SDRs to temporally control the ligand release from a DNA nanodevice, the inhibition of a target protein by a DNA aptamer, and the output signal generated by a DNA logic circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Bucci
- Chemistry Department, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Patrick Irmisch
- Molecular Biophysics Group, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erica Del Grosso
- Chemistry Department, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Ralf Seidel
- Molecular Biophysics Group, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, Universität Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Francesco Ricci
- Chemistry Department, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, Italy
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12
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Zhang A, Kondhare D, Leonard P, Seela F. Anomeric DNA Strand Displacement with α-D Oligonucleotides as Invaders and Ethidium Bromide as Fluorescence Sensor for Duplexes with α/β-, β/β- and α/α-D Configuration. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202201294. [PMID: 35652726 PMCID: PMC9543212 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202201294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
DNA strand displacement is a technique to exchange one strand of a double stranded DNA by another strand (invader). It is an isothermal, enzyme free method driven by single stranded overhangs (toeholds) and is employed in DNA amplification, mismatch detection and nanotechnology. We discovered that anomeric (α/β) DNA can be used for heterochiral strand displacement. Homochiral DNA in β-D configuration was transformed to heterochiral DNA in α-D/β-D configuration and further to homochiral DNA with both strands in α-D configuration. Single stranded α-D DNA acts as invader. Herein, new anomeric displacement systems with and without toeholds were designed. Due to their resistance against enzymatic degradation, the systems are applicable to living cells. The light-up intercalator ethidium bromide is used as fluorescence sensor to follow the progress of displacement. Anomeric DNA displacement shows benefits over canonical DNA in view of toehold free displacement and simple detection by ethidium bromide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aigui Zhang
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Nanotechnology, Heisenbergstrasse 11, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Dasharath Kondhare
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Nanotechnology, Heisenbergstrasse 11, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Peter Leonard
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Nanotechnology, Heisenbergstrasse 11, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Frank Seela
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Center for Nanotechnology, Heisenbergstrasse 11, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Laboratorium für Organische und Bioorganische Chemie, Institut für Chemie neuer Materialien, Universität Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 7, 49069, Osnabrück, Germany
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13
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Abstract
Regulatory processes in biology can be re-conceptualized in terms of logic gates, analogous to those in computer science. Frequently, biological systems need to respond to multiple, sometimes conflicting, inputs to provide the correct output. The language of logic gates can then be used to model complex signal transduction and metabolic processes. Advances in synthetic biology in turn can be used to construct new logic gates, which find a variety of biotechnology applications including in the production of high value chemicals, biosensing, and drug delivery. In this review, we focus on advances in the construction of logic gates that take advantage of biological catalysts, including both protein-based and nucleic acid-based enzymes. These catalyst-based biomolecular logic gates can read a variety of molecular inputs and provide chemical, optical, and electrical outputs, allowing them to interface with other types of biomolecular logic gates or even extend to inorganic systems. Continued advances in molecular modeling and engineering will facilitate the construction of new logic gates, further expanding the utility of biomolecular computing.
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14
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Fil J, Dalchau N, Chu D. Programming Molecular Systems To Emulate a Learning Spiking Neuron. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:2055-2069. [PMID: 35622431 PMCID: PMC9208023 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Hebbian theory seeks
to explain how the neurons in the brain adapt
to stimuli to enable learning. An interesting feature of Hebbian learning
is that it is an unsupervised method and, as such, does not require
feedback, making it suitable in contexts where systems have to learn
autonomously. This paper explores how molecular systems can be designed
to show such protointelligent behaviors and proposes the first chemical
reaction network (CRN) that can exhibit autonomous Hebbian learning
across arbitrarily many input channels. The system emulates a spiking
neuron, and we demonstrate that it can learn statistical biases of
incoming inputs. The basic CRN is a minimal, thermodynamically plausible
set of microreversible chemical equations that can be analyzed with
respect to their energy requirements. However, to explore how such
chemical systems might be engineered de novo, we also propose an extended
version based on enzyme-driven compartmentalized reactions. Finally,
we show how a purely DNA system, built upon the paradigm of DNA strand
displacement, can realize neuronal dynamics. Our analysis provides
a compelling blueprint for exploring autonomous learning in biological
settings, bringing us closer to realizing real synthetic biological
intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Fil
- APT Group, School of Computer Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Dalchau
- Microsoft Research, Cambridge CB1 2FB, United Kingdom
| | - Dominique Chu
- CEMS, School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NF, United Kingdom
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15
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Zarubiieva I, Spaccasassi C, Kulkarni V, Phillips A. Automated Leak Analysis of Nucleic Acid Circuits. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 11:1931-1948. [PMID: 35544754 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acids are a powerful engineering material that can be used to implement a broad range of computational circuits at the nanoscale, with potential applications in high-precision biosensing, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, nucleic acid circuits are prone to leaks, which result from unintended displacement interactions between nucleic acid strands. Such leaks can grow combinatorially with circuit size, are challenging to mitigate, and can significantly compromise circuit behavior. While several techniques have been proposed to partially mitigate leaks, computational methods for designing new leak mitigation strategies and comparing their effectiveness on circuit behavior are limited. Here we present a general method for the automated leak analysis of nucleic acid circuits, referred to as DSD Leaks. Our method extends the logic programming functionality of the Visual DSD language, developed for the design and analysis of nucleic acid circuits, with predicates for leak generation, a leak reaction enumeration algorithm, and predicates to exclude low probability leak reactions. We use our method to identify the critical leak reactions affecting the performance of control circuits, and to analyze leak mitigation strategies by automatically generating leak reactions. Finally, we design new control circuits with substantially reduced leakage including a sophisticated proportional-integral controller circuit, which can in turn serve as building blocks for future circuits. By integrating our method within an open-source nucleic acid circuit design tool, we enable the leak analysis of a broad range of circuits, as an important step toward facilitating robust and scalable nucleic acid circuit design.
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16
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Zou C, Zhang Q, Wei X. Synchronization of Hyper-Lorenz System Based on DNA Strand Displacement. IEEE/ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS 2022; 19:1897-1908. [PMID: 33385311 DOI: 10.1109/tcbb.2020.3048753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lorenz system is depicted by chemical reaction equations of an ideal formal chemical reaction network, and a series of reversible reactions are added into chemical reaction network in order to construct a cluster of hyper-Lorenz system. DNA as a universal substrate for chemical dynamics can approximate arbitrary dynamical characteristics of ideal formal chemical reaction network through auxiliary DNA strands and displacement reactions. Based on Lyapunov's stableness theory, a novel synchronization strategy is proposed. A 6-dimensional hyper-Lorenz system is taken as examples for simulation and shows that DNA strands displacement reactions can implement the synchronization of ideal formal chemical reaction networks. Numerical simulations indicate that synchronization based on DNA strand displacement is robust to the detection of DNA strand concentration, control of reaction rate, and noise.
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17
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Shang Z, Zhou C, Zhang Q. Chemical Reaction Networks’ Programming for Solving Equations. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:1725-1739. [PMID: 35723377 PMCID: PMC9164072 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44040119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The computational ability of the chemical reaction networks (CRNs) using DNA as the substrate has been verified previously. To solve more complex computational problems and perform the computational steps as expected, the practical design of the basic modules of calculation and the steps in the reactions have become the basic requirements for biomolecular computing. This paper presents a method for solving nonlinear equations in the CRNs with DNA as the substrate. We used the basic calculation module of the CRNs with a gateless structure to design discrete and analog algorithms and realized the nonlinear equations that could not be solved in the previous work, such as exponential, logarithmic, and simple triangle equations. The solution of the equation uses the transformation method, Taylor expansion, and Newton iteration method, and the simulation verified this through examples. We used and improved the basic calculation module of the CRN++ programming language, optimized the error in the basic module, and analyzed the error’s variation over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwei Shang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Intelligent Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Software Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116622, China;
| | - Changjun Zhou
- College of Mathematics and Computer Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China;
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Intelligent Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Software Engineering, Dalian University, Dalian 116622, China;
- Correspondence:
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18
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Paikar A, Novichkov AI, Hanopolskyi AI, Smaliak VA, Sui X, Kampf N, Skorb EV, Semenov SN. Spatiotemporal Regulation of Hydrogel Actuators by Autocatalytic Reaction Networks. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2106816. [PMID: 34910837 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202106816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Regulating hydrogel actuators with chemical reaction networks is instrumental for constructing life-inspired smart materials. Herein, hydrogel actuators are engineered that are regulated by the autocatalytic front of thiols. The actuators consist of two layers. The first layer, which is regular polyacrylamide hydrogel, is in a strained conformation. The second layer, which is polyacrylamide hydrogel with disulfide crosslinks, maintains strain in the first layer. When thiols released by the autocatalytic front reduce disulfide crosslinks, the hydrogel actuates by releasing the mechanical strain in the first layer. The autocatalytic front is sustained by the reaction network, which uses thiouronium salts, disulfides of β-aminothiols, and maleimide as starting components. The gradual actuation by the autocatalytic front enables movements such as gradual unrolling, screwing, and sequential closing of "fingers." This actuation also allows the transmission of chemical signals in a relay fashion and the conversion of a chemical signal to an electrical signal. Locations and times of spontaneous initiation of autocatalytic fronts can be preprogrammed in the spatial distribution of the reactants in the hydrogel. To approach the functionality of living matter, the actuators triggered by an autocatalytic front can be integrated into smart materials regulated by chemical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Paikar
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Alexander I Novichkov
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Anton I Hanopolskyi
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Viktoryia A Smaliak
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Xiaomeng Sui
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
- Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Nir Kampf
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Ekaterina V Skorb
- Infochemistry Scientific Center, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 191002, Russia
| | - Sergey N Semenov
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
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19
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He S, Cui R, Zhang Y, Yang Y, Xu Z, Wang S, Dang P, Dang K, Ye Q, Liu Y. Design and Realization of Triple dsDNA Nanocomputing Circuits in Microfluidic Chips. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:10721-10728. [PMID: 35188362 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c24220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
DNA logic gates, nanocomputing circuits, have already implemented basic computations and shown great signal potential for nano logic material application. However, the reaction temperature and computing speed still limit its development. Performing complicated computations requires a more stable component and a better computing platform. We proposed a more stable design of logic gates based on a triple, double-stranded, DNA (T-dsDNA) structure. We demonstrated a half adder and a full adder using these DNA nanocircuits and performed the computations in a microfluidic chip device at room temperature. When the solutions were mixed in the device, we obtained the expected results in real time, which suggested that the T-dsDNA combined microfluidic chip provides a concise strategy for large DNA nanocircuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songlin He
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Orthopedics, the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital; Beijing Key Lab of Regenerative Medicine in Orthopedics; Key Laboratory of Musculoskeletal Trauma & War Injuries PLA; No. 28 Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100853, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruiming Cui
- Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and TEDA Applied Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Yao Zhang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongkang Yang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziheng Xu
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuoyu Wang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Pingxiu Dang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Kexin Dang
- Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and TEDA Applied Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Ye
- Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and TEDA Applied Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
- Nankai University Eye Institute, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
| | - Yin Liu
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
- Nankai University Eye Institute, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China
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20
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Arredondo D, Lakin MR. Robust finite automata in stochastic chemical reaction networks. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211310. [PMID: 34950493 PMCID: PMC8692961 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Finite-state automata (FSA) are simple computational devices that can nevertheless illustrate interesting behaviours. We propose that FSA can be employed as control circuits for engineered stochastic biological and biomolecular systems. We present an implementation of FSA using counts of chemical species in the range of hundreds to thousands, which is relevant for the counts of many key molecules such as mRNAs in prokaryotic cells. The challenge here is to ensure a robust representation of the current state in the face of stochastic noise. We achieve this by using a multistable approximate majority algorithm to stabilize and store the current state of the system. Arbitrary finite state machines can thus be compiled into robust stochastic chemical automata. We present two variants: one that consumes its input signals to initiate state transitions and one that does not. We characterize the state change dynamics of these systems and demonstrate their application to solve the four-bit binary square root problem. Our work lays the foundation for the use of chemical automata as control circuits in bioengineered systems and biorobotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Arredondo
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Matthew R. Lakin
- Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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21
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Development of Synthetic DNA Circuit and Networks for Molecular Information Processing. NANOMATERIALS 2021; 11:nano11112955. [PMID: 34835719 PMCID: PMC8625377 DOI: 10.3390/nano11112955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a genetic material, encodes all living information and living characteristics, e.g., in cell, DNA signaling circuits control the transcription activities of specific genes. In recent years, various DNA circuits have been developed to implement a wide range of signaling and for regulating gene network functions. In particular, a synthetic DNA circuit, with a programmable design and easy construction, has become a crucial method through which to simulate and regulate DNA signaling networks. Importantly, the construction of a hierarchical DNA circuit provides a useful tool for regulating gene networks and for processing molecular information. Moreover, via their robust and modular properties, DNA circuits can amplify weak signals and establish programmable cascade systems, which are particularly suitable for the applications of biosensing and detecting. Furthermore, a biological enzyme can also be used to provide diverse circuit regulation elements. Currently, studies regarding the mechanisms and applications of synthetic DNA circuit are important for the establishment of more advanced artificial gene regulation systems and intelligent molecular sensing tools. We therefore summarize recent relevant research progress, contributing to the development of nanotechnology-based synthetic DNA circuits. By summarizing the current highlights and the development of synthetic DNA circuits, this paper provides additional insights for future DNA circuit development and provides a foundation for the construction of more advanced DNA circuits.
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22
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Tang Z, Yin Z, Wang L, Cui J, Yang J, Wang R. Solving 0-1 Integer Programming Problem Based on DNA Strand Displacement Reaction Network. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2318-2330. [PMID: 34431290 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Chemical reaction networks (CRNs) based on DNA strand displacement (DSD) can be used as an effective programming language for solving various mathematical problems. In this paper, we design three chemical reaction modules by using the DNA strand displacement reaction as the basic principle, with a weighted reaction module, sum reaction module, and threshold reaction module. These modules are used as basic elements to form chemical reaction networks that can be used to solve 0-1 integer programming problems. The problem can be solved through the three steps of weighting, sum, and threshold, and then the results of the operations can be expressed through a single-stranded DNA output with fluorescent molecules. Finally, we use biochemical experiments and Visual DSD simulation software to verify and evaluate the chemical reaction networks. The results have shown that the DSD-based chemical reaction networks constructed in this paper have good feasibility and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Tang
- School of Mathematics and Big Data, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
| | - Zhixiang Yin
- School of Mathematics and Big Data, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
- School of Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Luhui Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
| | - Jianzhong Cui
- Department of Computer, Huainan Union University, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
| | - Jing Yang
- School of Mathematics and Big Data, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
| | - Risheng Wang
- School of Mathematics and Big Data, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
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23
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Abstract
DNA-based Boolean logic gates (for example, AND, OR, and NOT) can be assembled into complex computational circuits that generate an output signal in response to specific patterns of oligonucleotide inputs. However, the fundamental nature of NOT gates, which convert the absence of an input into an output, makes their implementation within DNA-based circuits difficult. Premature execution of a NOT gate before completion of its upstream computation introduces an irreversible error into the circuit. By utilizing photocaging groups, we developed a novel DNA gate design that prevents gate function until irradiation at a certain time point. Optical activation provides temporal control over circuit performance by preventing premature computation and is orthogonal to all other components of DNA computation devices. Using this approach, we designed NAND and NOR logic gates that respond to synthetic microRNA sequences. We further demonstrate the utility of the NOT gate within multilayer circuits in response to a specific pattern of four microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole Emanuelson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Anirban Bardhan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Alexander Deiters
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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24
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Lv H, Li Q, Shi J, Fan C, Wang F. Biocomputing Based on DNA Strand Displacement Reactions. Chemphyschem 2021; 22:1151-1166. [PMID: 33871136 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202100140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The high sequence specificity and precise base complementary pairing principle of DNA provides a rich orthogonal molecular library for molecular programming, making it one of the most promising materials for developing bio-compatible intelligence. In recent years, DNA has been extensively studied and applied in the field of biological computing. Among them, the toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction (SDR) with properties including enzyme free, flexible design and precise control, have been extensively used to construct biological computing circuits. This review provides a systemic overview of SDR design principles and the applications. Strategies for designing DNA-only, enzymes-assisted, other molecules-involved and external stimuli-controlled SDRs are described. The recently realized computing functions and the application of DNA computing in other fields are introduced. Finally, the advantages and challenges of SDR-based computing are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Lv
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Division of Physical Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Qian Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201240, China
| | - Jiye Shi
- Division of Physical Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China
| | - Chunhai Fan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201240, China
| | - Fei Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201240, China
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25
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Mechanical Properties of DNA Hydrogels: Towards Highly Programmable Biomaterials. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11041885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
DNA hydrogels are self-assembled biomaterials that rely on Watson–Crick base pairing to form large-scale programmable three-dimensional networks of nanostructured DNA components. The unique mechanical and biochemical properties of DNA, along with its biocompatibility, make it a suitable material for the assembly of hydrogels with controllable mechanical properties and composition that could be used in several biomedical applications, including the design of novel multifunctional biomaterials. Numerous studies that have recently emerged, demonstrate the assembly of functional DNA hydrogels that are responsive to stimuli such as pH, light, temperature, biomolecules, and programmable strand-displacement reaction cascades. Recent studies have investigated the role of different factors such as linker flexibility, functionality, and chemical crosslinking on the macroscale mechanical properties of DNA hydrogels. In this review, we present the existing data and methods regarding the mechanical design of pure DNA hydrogels and hybrid DNA hydrogels, and their use as hydrogels for cell culture. The aim of this review is to facilitate further study and development of DNA hydrogels towards utilizing their full potential as multifeatured and highly programmable biomaterials with controlled mechanical properties.
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26
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Rangel AE, Hariri AA, Eisenstein M, Soh HT. Engineering Aptamer Switches for Multifunctional Stimulus-Responsive Nanosystems. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e2003704. [PMID: 33165999 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202003704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Although RNA and DNA are best known for their capacity to encode biological information, it has become increasingly clear over the past few decades that these biomolecules are also capable of performing other complex functions, such as molecular recognition (e.g., aptamers) and catalysis (e.g., ribozymes). Building on these foundations, researchers have begun to exploit the predictable base-pairing properties of RNA and DNA in order to utilize nucleic acids as functional materials that can undergo a molecular "switching" process, performing complex functions such as signaling or controlled payload release in response to external stimuli including light, pH, ligand-binding and other microenvironmental cues. Although this field is still in its infancy, these efforts offer exciting potential for the development of biologically based "smart materials". Herein, ongoing progress in the use of nucleic acids as an externally controllable switching material is reviewed. The diverse range of mechanisms that can trigger a stimulus response, and strategies for engineering those functionalities into nucleic acid materials are explored. Finally, recent progress is discussed in incorporating aptamer switches into more complex synthetic nucleic acid-based nanostructures and functionalized smart materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Rangel
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Amani A Hariri
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Michael Eisenstein
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - H Tom Soh
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
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27
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Liu C, Liu Y, Zhu E, Zhang Q, Wei X, Wang B. Cross-Inhibitor: a time-sensitive molecular circuit based on DNA strand displacement. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:10691-10701. [PMID: 33045746 PMCID: PMC7641751 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Designing biochemical systems that can be effectively used in diverse fields, including diagnostics, molecular computing and nanomachines, has long been recognized as an important goal of molecular programming and DNA nanotechnology. A key issue in the development of such practical devices on the nanoscale lies in the development of biochemical components with information-processing capacity. In this article, we propose a molecular device that utilizes DNA strand displacement networks and allows interactive inhibition between two input signals; thus, it is termed a cross-inhibitor. More specifically, the device supplies each input signal with a processor such that the processing of one input signal will interdict the signal of the other. Biochemical experiments are conducted to analyze the interdiction performance with regard to effectiveness, stability and controllability. To illustrate its feasibility, a biochemical framework grounded in this mechanism is presented to determine the winner of a tic-tac-toe game. Our results highlight the potential for DNA strand displacement cascades to act as signal controllers and event triggers to endow molecular systems with the capability of controlling and detecting events and signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanjuan Liu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Enqiang Zhu
- Institute of Computing Science and Technology, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xiaopeng Wei
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Intelligent Computing, Dalian University, Dalian 116622, China
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28
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Schaffter SW, Schneider J, Agrawal DK, Pacella MS, Rothchild E, Murphy T, Schulman R. Reconfiguring DNA Nanotube Architectures via Selective Regulation of Terminating Structures. ACS NANO 2020; 14:13451-13462. [PMID: 33048538 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c05340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Molecular assemblies inside cells often undergo structural reconfiguration in response to stimuli to alter their function. Adaptive reconfiguration of cytoskeletal networks, for example, enables cellular shape change, movement, and cargo transport and plays a key role in driving complex processes such as division and differentiation. The cellular cytoskeleton is a self-assembling polymer network composed of simple filaments, so reconfiguration often occurs through the rearrangement of its component filaments' connectivities. DNA nanotubes have emerged as promising building blocks for constructing programmable synthetic analogs of cytoskeletal networks. Nucleating seeds can control when and where nanotubes grow, and capping structures can bind nanotube ends to stop growth. Such seeding and capping structures, collectively called termini, can organize nanotubes into larger architectures. However, these structures cannot be selectively activated or inactivated in response to specific stimuli to rearrange nanotube architectures, a key property of cytoskeletal networks. Here, we demonstrate how selective regulation of the binding affinity of DNA nanotube termini for DNA nanotube monomers or nanotube ends can direct the reconfiguration of nanotube architectures. Using DNA hybridization and strand displacement reactions that specifically activate or inactivate four orthogonal nanotube termini, we demonstrate that nanotube architectures can be reconfigured by selective addition or removal of distinct termini. Finally, we show how terminus activation could be a sensitive detector and amplifier of a DNA sequence signal. These results could enable the development of adaptive and multifunctional materials or diagnostic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel W Schaffter
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Joanna Schneider
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Deepak K Agrawal
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Michael S Pacella
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Eric Rothchild
- Material Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Terence Murphy
- Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603, United States
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
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29
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Agrawal DK, Schulman R. Modular protein-oligonucleotide signal exchange. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:6431-6444. [PMID: 32442276 PMCID: PMC7337525 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While many methods are available to measure the concentrations of proteins in solution, the development of a method to quantitatively report both increases and decreases in different protein concentrations in real-time using changes in the concentrations of other molecules, such as DNA outputs, has remained a challenge. Here, we present a biomolecular reaction process that reports the concentration of an input protein in situ as the concentration of an output DNA oligonucleotide strand. This method uses DNA oligonucleotide aptamers that bind either to a specific protein selectively or to a complementary DNA oligonucleotide reversibly using toehold-mediated DNA strand-displacement. It is possible to choose the sequence of output strand almost independent of the sensing protein. Using this strategy, we implemented four different exchange processes to report the concentrations of clinically relevant human α-thrombin and vascular endothelial growth factor using changes in concentrations of DNA oligonucleotide outputs. These exchange processes can operate in tandem such that the same or different output signals can indicate changes in concentration of distinct or identical input proteins. The simplicity of our approach suggests a pathway to build devices that can direct diverse output responses in response to changes in concentrations of specific proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak K Agrawal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Colorado Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.,Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
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30
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Abstract
In recent years, a diverse set of mechanisms have been developed that allow DNA strands with specific sequences to sense information in their environment and to control material assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration. These sequences could serve as the inputs and outputs for DNA computing circuits, enabling DNA circuits to act as chemical information processors to program complex behavior in chemical and material systems. This review describes processes that can be sensed and controlled within such a paradigm. Specifically, there are interfaces that can release strands of DNA in response to chemical signals, wavelengths of light, pH, or electrical signals, as well as DNA strands that can direct the self-assembly and dynamic reconfiguration of DNA nanostructures, regulate particle assemblies, control encapsulation, and manipulate materials including DNA crystals, hydrogels, and vesicles. These interfaces have the potential to enable chemical circuits to exert algorithmic control over responsive materials, which may ultimately lead to the development of materials that grow, heal, and interact dynamically with their environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Scalise
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.,Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA;
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31
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Jonášová EP, Bjørkøy A, Stokke BT. Toehold Length of Target ssDNA Affects Its Reaction-Diffusion Behavior in DNA-Responsive DNA- co-Acrylamide Hydrogels. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:1687-1699. [PMID: 31887025 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we expand on the understanding of hydrogels with embedded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) cross-links, from the overall swelling to characterization of processes that precede the swelling. The hydrogels respond to target DNA strands because of a toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction in which the target strand binds to and opens the dsDNA cross-link. The spatiotemporal evolution of the diffusing target ssDNA was determined using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The concentration profiles revealed diverse partitioning of the target DNA inside the hydrogel as compared with the immersing solution: excluding a nonbinding DNA, while accumulating a binding target. The data show that a longer toehold results in faster cross-link opening but reduced diffusion of the target, thus resulting in only a moderate increase in the overall swelling rate. The parameters obtained by fitting the data using a reaction-diffusion model were discussed in view of the molecular parameters of the target ssDNA and hydrogels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonóra Parelius Jonášová
- Biophysics and Medical Technology, Dept of Physics, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Astrid Bjørkøy
- Biophysics and Medical Technology, Dept of Physics, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bjørn Torger Stokke
- Biophysics and Medical Technology, Dept of Physics, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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32
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Scalise D, Rubanov M, Miller K, Potters L, Noble M, Schulman R. Programming the Sequential Release of DNA. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:749-755. [PMID: 32212717 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
This study presents a mechanism for releasing a series of different short DNA sequences from sequestered complexes, one after another, using coupled biochemical reactions. The process uses stages of coupled DNA strand-displacement reactions that first release an output molecule and then trigger the initiation of the next release stage. We demonstrate the sequential release of 25 nM of four different sequences of DNA over a day, both with and without a centralized "clock" mechanism to regulate release timing. We then demonstrate how the presence of a target input molecule can determine which of several different release pathways are activated, analogous to branching conditional statements in computer programming. This sequential release circuit offers a means to schedule downstream chemical events, such as steps in the assembly of a nanostructure, or stages in a material's response to a stimulus.
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33
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Parelius Jonášová E, Stokke BT. Morpholino Target Molecular Properties Affect the Swelling Process of Oligomorpholino-Functionalized Responsive Hydrogels. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:E268. [PMID: 31991917 PMCID: PMC7077381 DOI: 10.3390/polym12020268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Responsive hydrogels featuring DNA as a functional unit are attracting increasing interest due to combination of versatility and numerous applications. The possibility to use nucleic acid analogues opens for further customization of the hydrogels. In the present work, the commonly employed DNA oligonucleotides in DNA-co-acrylamide responsive hydrogels are replaced by Morpholino oligonucleotides. The uncharged backbone of this nucleic acid analogue makes it less susceptible to possible enzymatic degradation. In this work we address fundamental issues related to key processes in the hydrogel response; such as partitioning of the free oligonucleotides and the strand displacement process. The hydrogels were prepared at the end of optical fibers for interferometric size monitoring and imaged using confocal laser scanning microscopy of the fluorescently labeled free oligonucleotides to observe their apparent diffusion and accumulation within the hydrogels. Morpholino-based hydrogels' response to Morpholino targets was compared to DNA hydrogels' response to DNA targets of the same base-pair sequence. Non-binding targets were observed to be less depleted in Morpholino hydrogels than in DNA hydrogels, due to their electroneutrality, resulting in faster kinetics for Morpholinos. The electroneutrality, however, also led to the total swelling response of the Morpholino hydrogels being smaller than that of DNA, since their lack of charges eliminates swelling resulting from the influx of counter-ions upon oligonucleotide binding. We have shown that employing nucleic acid analogues instead of DNA in hydrogels has a profound effect on the hydrogel response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bjørn Torger Stokke
- Biophysics and Medical Technology, Department of Physics, NTNU—Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway;
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34
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35
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Chou LYT, Shih WM. In Vitro Transcriptional Regulation via Nucleic-Acid-Based Transcription Factors. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:2558-2565. [PMID: 31574217 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cells execute complex transcriptional programs by deploying distinct protein regulatory assemblies that interact with cis-regulatory elements throughout the genome. Using concepts from DNA nanotechnology, we synthetically recapitulated this feature in in vitro gene networks actuated by T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP). Our approach involves engineering nucleic acid hybridization interactions between a T7 RNAP site-specifically functionalized with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), templates displaying cis-regulatory ssDNA domains, and auxiliary nucleic acid assemblies acting as artificial transcription factors (TFs). By relying on nucleic acid hybridization, de novo regulatory assemblies can be computationally designed to emulate features of protein-based TFs, such as cooperativity and combinatorial binding, while offering unique advantages such as programmability, chemical stability, and scalability. We illustrate the use of nucleic acid TFs to implement transcriptional logic, cascading, feedback, and multiplexing. This framework will enable rapid prototyping of increasingly complex in vitro genetic devices for applications such as portable diagnostics, bioanalysis, and the design of adaptive materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Y. T. Chou
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - William M. Shih
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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36
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Song T, Shah S, Bui H, Garg S, Eshra A, Fu D, Yang M, Mokhtar R, Reif J. Programming DNA-Based Biomolecular Reaction Networks on Cancer Cell Membranes. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:16539-16543. [PMID: 31600065 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b05598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
DNA is a highly programmable biomolecule and has been used to construct biological circuits for different purposes. An important development of DNA circuits is to process the information on receptors on cell membranes. In this Communication, we introduce an architecture to program localized DNA-based biomolecular reaction networks on cancer cell membranes. Based on our architecture, various types of reaction networks have been experimentally demonstrated, from simple linear cascades to reaction networks of complex structures. These localized DNA-based reaction networks can be used for medical applications such as cancer cell detection. Compared to prior work on DNA circuits for evaluating cell membrane receptors, the DNA circuits made by our architecture have several major advantages including simpler design, lower leak, lower cost, and higher signal-to-background ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Song
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Shalin Shah
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Hieu Bui
- National Research Council , 500 Fifth Street NW, Keck 576 , Washington , D.C. 20001 , United States
| | - Sudhanshu Garg
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Abeer Eshra
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Electronic Engineering , Menoufia University , Menouf , Menoufia 32831 , Egypt
| | - Daniel Fu
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Ming Yang
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Reem Mokhtar
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - John Reif
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
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37
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Lai W, Xiong X, Wang F, Li Q, Li L, Fan C, Pei H. Nonlinear Regulation of Enzyme-Free DNA Circuitry with Ultrasensitive Switches. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:2106-2112. [PMID: 31461263 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
DNA is used to construct synthetic chemical reaction networks (CRNs), such as inorganic oscillators and gene regulatory networks. Nonlinear regulation with a simpler molecular mechanism is particularly important in large-scale CRNs with complex dynamics, such as bistability, adaptation, and oscillation of cellular functions. Here we introduce a new approach based on ultrasensitive switches as modular regulatory elements to nonlinearly regulate DNA-based CRNs. The nonlinear behavior of the systems can be finely tuned by programmable regulation of the linker length and the ligand binding sites, of which the Hill coefficients (nH) are in the range of 1.00-2.32. By integrating two different strand displacement reactions with low-order nonlinearities (nH ≈ 1.44 and 1.54), we could construct CRNs exhibiting high-order nonlinearities with Hill coefficients of up to ∼2.70. In addition, this could provide an efficient approach for designing CRNs at will with complex chemical dynamics by incorporating our design with previously developed enzyme-free DNA circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Lai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Xiewei Xiong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Fei Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China
| | - Qian Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China
| | - Li Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
| | - Chunhai Fan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China
| | - Hao Pei
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Chemical Processes, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, P. R. China
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38
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Pinto D, Vecchione S, Wu H, Mauri M, Mascher T, Fritz G. Engineering orthogonal synthetic timer circuits based on extracytoplasmic function σ factors. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:7450-7464. [PMID: 29986061 PMCID: PMC6101570 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The rational design of synthetic regulatory circuits critically hinges on the availability of orthogonal and well-characterized building blocks. Here, we focus on extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors, which are the largest group of alternative σ factors and hold extensive potential as synthetic orthogonal regulators. By assembling multiple ECF σ factors into regulatory cascades of varying length, we benchmark the scalability of the approach, showing that these ‘autonomous timer circuits’ feature a tuneable time delay between inducer addition and target gene activation. The implementation of similar timers in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis shows strikingly convergent circuit behavior, which can be rationalized by a computational model. These findings not only reveal ECF σ factors as powerful building blocks for a rational, multi-layered circuit design, but also suggest that ECF σ factors are universally applicable as orthogonal regulators in a variety of bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Pinto
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefano Vecchione
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Hao Wu
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marco Mauri
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Mascher
- Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Georg Fritz
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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39
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Abstract
Living cells communicate information about physiological conditions by producing signaling molecules in a specific timed manner. Different conditions can result in the same total amount of a signaling molecule, differing only in the pattern of the molecular concentration over time. Such temporally coded information can be completely invisible to even state-of-the-art molecular sensors with high chemical specificity that respond only to the total amount of the signaling molecule. Here, we demonstrate design principles for circuits with temporal specificity, that is, molecular circuits that respond to specific temporal patterns in a molecular concentration. We consider pulsatile patterns in a molecular concentration characterized by three fundamental temporal features: time period, duty fraction, and number of pulses. We develop circuits that respond to each one of these features while being insensitive to the others. We demonstrate our design principles using general chemical reaction networks and with explicit simulations of DNA strand displacement reactions. In this way, our work develops building blocks for temporal pattern recognition through molecular computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson O’Brien
- The James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Arvind Murugan
- The James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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40
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Joesaar A, Yang S, Bögels B, van der Linden A, Pieters P, Kumar BVVSP, Dalchau N, Phillips A, Mann S, de Greef TFA. DNA-based communication in populations of synthetic protocells. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 14:369-378. [PMID: 30833694 PMCID: PMC6451639 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-019-0399-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Developing molecular communication platforms based on orthogonal communication channels is a crucial step towards engineering artificial multicellular systems. Here, we present a general and scalable platform entitled 'biomolecular implementation of protocellular communication' (BIO-PC) to engineer distributed multichannel molecular communication between populations of non-lipid semipermeable microcapsules. Our method leverages the modularity and scalability of enzyme-free DNA strand-displacement circuits to develop protocellular consortia that can sense, process and respond to DNA-based messages. We engineer a rich variety of biochemical communication devices capable of cascaded amplification, bidirectional communication and distributed computational operations. Encapsulating DNA strand-displacement circuits further allows their use in concentrated serum where non-compartmentalized DNA circuits cannot operate. BIO-PC enables reliable execution of distributed DNA-based molecular programs in biologically relevant environments and opens new directions in DNA computing and minimal cell technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Joesaar
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Shuo Yang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Bas Bögels
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Ardjan van der Linden
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Pascal Pieters
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - B V V S Pavan Kumar
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Stephen Mann
- Centre for Protolife Research and Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tom F A de Greef
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Computational Biology Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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41
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Zheng X, Yang J, Zhou C, Zhang C, Zhang Q, Wei X. Allosteric DNAzyme-based DNA logic circuit: operations and dynamic analysis. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:1097-1109. [PMID: 30541100 PMCID: PMC6379719 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, due to the dual roles of DNA and enzyme, DNAzyme has been widely used in the field of DNA circuit, which has a wide range of applications in bio-engineered system, information processing and biocomputing. In fact, the activity of DNAzymes was regulated by subunits assembly, pH control and metal ions triggers. However, those regulations required to change the sequences of whole DNAzyme, as separating parts and inserting extra DNA sequence. Inspired by the allosteric regulation of proteins in nature, a new allosteric strategy is proposed to regulate the activity of DNAzyme without DNA sequences changes. In this strategy, DNA strand displacement was used to regulate the DNAzyme structure, through which the activity of DNAzyme was well controlled. The strategy was applied to E6-type DNAzymes, and the operations of DNA logic circuit (YES, OR, AND, cascading and feedback) were established and simulated with the dynamic analyses. The allosteric regulation has potential to construct more complicated molecular systems, which can be applied to bio-sensing and detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuedong Zheng
- College of Computer Science, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China
| | - Jing Yang
- School of Control and Computer Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Changjun Zhou
- College of Mathematics and Computer sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University, Key laboratory of High Confidence Software Technologies, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Intelligent Computing, Dalian University, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116622, China
- School of Computer Scicence and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xiaopeng Wei
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Design and Intelligent Computing, Dalian University, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116622, China
- School of Computer Scicence and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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42
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Song T, Gopalkrishnan N, Eshra A, Garg S, Mokhtar R, Bui H, Chandran H, Reif J. Improving the Performance of DNA Strand Displacement Circuits by Shadow Cancellation. ACS NANO 2018; 12:11689-11697. [PMID: 30372034 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b07394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA strand displacement circuits are powerful tools that can be rationally engineered to implement molecular computing tasks because they are programmable, cheap, robust, and predictable. A key feature of these circuits is the use of catalytic gates to amplify signal. Catalytic gates tend to leak; that is, they generate output signal even in the absence of intended input. Leaks are harmful to the performance and correct operation of DNA strand displacement circuits. Here, we present "shadow cancellation", a general-purpose technique to mitigate leak in catalytic DNA strand displacement circuits. Shadow cancellation involves constructing a parallel shadow circuit that mimics the primary circuit and has the same leak characteristics. It is situated in the same test tube as the primary circuit and produces "anti-background" DNA strands that cancel "background" DNA strands produced by leak. We demonstrate the feasibility and strength of the shadow leak cancellation approach through a challenging test case, a cross-catalytic feedback DNA amplifier circuit that leaks prodigiously. Shadow cancellation dramatically reduced the leak of this circuit and improved the signal-to-background difference by several fold. Unlike existing techniques, it makes no modifications to the underlying amplifier circuit and is agnostic to its leak mechanism. Shadow cancellation also showed good robustness to concentration errors in multiple scenarios. This work introduces a direction in leak reduction techniques for DNA strand displacement amplifier circuits and can potentially be extended to other molecular amplifiers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Song
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Nikhil Gopalkrishnan
- Wyss Institute, Harvard University , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
| | - Abeer Eshra
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Electronic Engineering , Menoufia University , Menouf , Menoufia 32831 , Egypt
| | - Sudhanshu Garg
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Reem Mokhtar
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
| | - Hieu Bui
- National Research Council , 500 Fifth Street NW, Keck 576 , Washington , D.C. 20001 , United States
| | | | - John Reif
- Department of Computer Science , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina 27708 , United States
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43
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Fern J, Schulman R. Modular DNA strand-displacement controllers for directing material expansion. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3766. [PMID: 30217991 PMCID: PMC6138645 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06218-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Soft materials that swell or change shape in response to external stimuli show extensive promise in regenerative medicine, targeted therapeutics, and soft robotics. Generally, a stimulus for shape change must interact directly with the material, limiting the types of stimuli that may be used and necessitating high stimulus concentrations. Here, we show how DNA strand-displacement controllers within hydrogels can mediate size change by interpreting, amplifying, and integrating stimuli and releasing signals that direct the response. These controllers tune the time scale and degree of DNA-crosslinked hydrogel swelling and can actuate dramatic material size change in response to <100 nM of a specific biomolecular input. Controllers can also direct swelling in response to small molecules or perform logic. The integration of these stimuli-responsive materials with biomolecular circuits is a major step towards autonomous soft robotic systems in which sensing and actuation are implemented by biomolecular reaction networks. Materials which change shape in response to a trigger are of interest for soft robotics and targeted therapeutic delivery. Here, the authors report on the development of DNA-crosslinked hydrogels which can expand upon the detection of different biomolecular inputs mediated by DNA strand-displacement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Fern
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. .,Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
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44
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Schaffter SW, Green LN, Schneider J, Subramanian HKK, Schulman R, Franco E. T7 RNA polymerase non-specifically transcribes and induces disassembly of DNA nanostructures. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:5332-5343. [PMID: 29718412 PMCID: PMC6007251 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of proteins that bind and catalyze reactions with DNA alongside DNA nanostructures has broadened the functionality of DNA devices. DNA binding proteins have been used to specifically pattern and tune structural properties of DNA nanostructures and polymerases have been employed to directly and indirectly drive structural changes in DNA structures and devices. Despite these advances, undesired and poorly understood interactions between DNA nanostructures and proteins that bind DNA continue to negatively affect the performance and stability of DNA devices used in conjunction with enzymes. A better understanding of these undesired interactions will enable the construction of robust DNA nanostructure-enzyme hybrid systems. Here, we investigate the undesired disassembly of DNA nanotubes in the presence of viral RNA polymerases (RNAPs) under conditions used for in vitro transcription. We show that nanotubes and individual nanotube monomers (tiles) are non-specifically transcribed by T7 RNAP, and that RNA transcripts produced during non-specific transcription disassemble the nanotubes. Disassembly requires a single-stranded overhang on the nanotube tiles where transcripts can bind and initiate disassembly through strand displacement, suggesting that single-stranded domains on other DNA nanostructures could cause unexpected interactions in the presence of viral RNA polymerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel W Schaffter
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering – Johns Hopkins University
| | - Leopold N Green
- Department of Mechanical Engineering – University of California - Riverside
| | - Joanna Schneider
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering – Johns Hopkins University
| | | | - Rebecca Schulman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering – Johns Hopkins University
- Department of Computer Science – Johns Hopkins University
| | - Elisa Franco
- Department of Mechanical Engineering – University of California - Riverside
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45
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Individually addressable and dynamic DNA gates for multiplexed cell sorting. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:4357-4362. [PMID: 29632190 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714820115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to analyze and isolate cells based on the expression of specific surface markers has increased our understanding of cell biology and produced numerous applications for biomedicine. However, established cell-sorting platforms rely on labels that are limited in number due to biophysical constraints, such as overlapping emission spectra of fluorophores in FACS. Here, we establish a framework built on a system of orthogonal and extensible DNA gates for multiplexed cell sorting. These DNA gates label target cell populations by antibodies to allow magnetic bead isolation en masse and then selectively unlock by strand displacement to sort cells. We show that DNA gated sorting (DGS) is triggered to completion within minutes on the surface of cells and achieves target cell purity, viability, and yield equivalent to that of commercial magnetic sorting kits. We demonstrate multiplexed sorting of three distinct immune cell populations (CD8+, CD4+, and CD19+) from mouse splenocytes to high purity and show that recovered CD8+ T cells retain proliferative potential and target cell-killing activity. To broaden the utility of this platform, we implement a double positive sorting scheme using DNA gates on peptide-MHC tetramers to isolate antigen-specific CD8+ T cells from mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). DGS can potentially be expanded with fewer biophysical constraints to large families of DNA gates for applications that require analysis of complex cell populations, such as host immune responses to disease.
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46
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Song T, Garg S, Mokhtar R, Bui H, Reif J. Design and Analysis of Compact DNA Strand Displacement Circuits for Analog Computation Using Autocatalytic Amplifiers. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:46-53. [PMID: 29202579 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
A main goal in DNA computing is to build DNA circuits to compute designated functions using a minimal number of DNA strands. Here, we propose a novel architecture to build compact DNA strand displacement circuits to compute a broad scope of functions in an analog fashion. A circuit by this architecture is composed of three autocatalytic amplifiers, and the amplifiers interact to perform computation. We show DNA circuits to compute functions sqrt(x), ln(x) and exp(x) for x in tunable ranges with simulation results. A key innovation in our architecture, inspired by Napier's use of logarithm transforms to compute square roots on a slide rule, is to make use of autocatalytic amplifiers to do logarithmic and exponential transforms in concentration and time. In particular, we convert from the input that is encoded by the initial concentration of the input DNA strand, to time, and then back again to the output encoded by the concentration of the output DNA strand at equilibrium. This combined use of strand-concentration and time encoding of computational values may have impact on other forms of molecular computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqi Song
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Sudhanshu Garg
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Reem Mokhtar
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Hieu Bui
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - John Reif
- Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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47
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Fern J, Schulman R. Design and Characterization of DNA Strand-Displacement Circuits in Serum-Supplemented Cell Medium. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:1774-1783. [PMID: 28558208 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The functional stability and lifetimes of synthetic molecular circuits in biological environments are important for long-term, stable sensors or controllers of cell or tissue behavior. DNA-based molecular circuits, in particular DNA strand-displacement circuits, provide simple and effective biocompatible control mechanisms and sensors, but are vulnerable to digestion by nucleases present in living tissues and serum-supplemented cell culture. The stability of double-stranded and single-stranded DNA circuit components in serum-supplemented cell medium and the corresponding effect of nuclease-mediated degradation on circuit performance were characterized to determine the major routes of degradation and DNA strand-displacement circuit failure. Simple circuit design choices, such as the use of 5' toeholds within the DNA complexes used as reactants in the strand-displacement reactions and the termination of single-stranded components with DNA hairpin domains at the 3' termini, significantly increase the functional lifetime of the circuit components in the presence of nucleases. Simulations of multireaction circuits, guided by the experimentally measured operation of single-reaction circuits, enable predictive realization of multilayer and competitive-reaction circuit behavior. Together, these results provide a basic route to increased DNA circuit stability in cell culture environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Fern
- Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Computer
Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States of America
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48
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Zou C, Wei X, Zhang Q, Liu C, Zhou C, Liu Y. Four-Analog Computation Based on DNA Strand Displacement. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:4143-4160. [PMID: 30023715 PMCID: PMC6044888 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
DNA strand displacement plays an important role in biological computations. The inherent advantages of parallelism, high storability, and cascading have resulted in increased functional circuit realization of DNA strand displacement on the nanoscale. Herein, we propose an analog computation with minus based on DNA strand displacement. The addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division gates as elementary gates could realize analog computation with minus. The advantages of this proposal are the analog computation with negative value and division computation. In this article, we provide the designs and principles of these elementary gates and demonstrate gate performance by simulation. Furthermore, to show the cascade property of gates, we computed a polynomial as an example by these gates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengye Zou
- Faculty of Electronic
Information and Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xiaopeng Wei
- Faculty of Electronic
Information and Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
- E-mail: (X.W.)
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Faculty of Electronic
Information and Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
- E-mail: (Q.Z.)
| | - Chanjuan Liu
- Faculty of Electronic
Information and Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Changjun Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Advanced and Intelligent Computing, Dalian University, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116622, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- Faculty of Electronic
Information and Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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49
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Massey M, Medintz IL, Ancona MG, Algar WR. Time-Gated FRET and DNA-Based Photonic Molecular Logic Gates: AND, OR, NAND, and NOR. ACS Sens 2017; 2:1205-1214. [PMID: 28787151 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.7b00355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Molecular logic devices (MLDs) constructed from DNA are promising for applications in bioanalysis, computing, and other applications requiring Boolean logic. These MLDs accept oligonucleotide inputs and generate fluorescence output through changes in structure. Although fluorescent dyes are most common in MLD designs, nontraditional luminescent materials with unique optical properties can potentially enhance MLD capabilities. In this context, luminescent lanthanide complexes (LLCs) have been largely overlooked. Here, we demonstrate a set of high-contrast DNA photonic logic gates based on toehold-mediated strand displacement and time-gated FRET. The gates include NAND, NOR, OR, and AND designs that accept two unlabeled target oligonucleotide sequences as inputs. Bright "true" output states utilize time-gated, FRET-sensitized emission from an Alexa Fluor 546 (A546) dye acceptor paired with a luminescent terbium cryptate (Tb) donor. Dark "false" output states are generated through either displacement of the A546, or through competitive and sequential quenching of the Tb or A546 by a dark quencher. Time-gated FRET and the long luminescence lifetime and spectrally narrow emission lines of the Tb donor enable 4-10-fold contrast between Boolean outputs, ≤10% signal variation for a common output, multicolor implementation of two logic gates in parallel, and effective performance in buffer and serum. These metrics exceed those reported for many other logic gate designs with only fluorescent dyes and with other non-LLC materials. Preliminary three-input AND and NAND gates are also demonstrated. The powerful combination of an LLC FRET donor with DNA-based logic gates is anticipated to have many future applications in bioanalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Massey
- Department
of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | | | | | - W. Russ Algar
- Department
of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
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50
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Zenk J, Scalise D, Wang K, Dorsey P, Fern J, Cruz A, Schulman R. Stable DNA-based reaction–diffusion patterns. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ra00824d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper demonstrates the generation of enzyme free DNA reaction–diffusion gradientsin vitrothat remain stable for tens of hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Zenk
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
| | - Dominic Scalise
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
| | - Kaiyuan Wang
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
| | - Phillip Dorsey
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
| | - Joshua Fern
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
| | - Ariana Cruz
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
| | - Rebecca Schulman
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University
- Baltimore
- USA
- Computer Science
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