DNA Inside Cells Can Serve As Rewritable Data Storage

By Rebecca Boyle Posted 05.22.2012 at 12:23 pm 4 Comments

DNA Storage Under ultraviolet light, petri dishes containing cells glow red or green depending upon the orientation of a specific section of genetic code inside the cells' DNA. The section of DNA can be flipped back and forth using the RAD technique. Norbert von der Groeben

DNA is the blueprint for life, and now it can serve as a computer to monitor life’s processes. Bioengineers transformed DNA into a one-bit memory system that can record, store and erase data within living cells. A future DNA memory device could be used to track cell division and differentiation in cancer patients, perhaps, or to monitor what happens as cells get sick or age.

We’ve seen plenty of body-monitoring computer systems, from chips that can swim through the bloodstream to nanowires that can tap the heart or other muscle. But so far, these systems are limited to a few processes. This system could work like rewritable memory in your computer, recording and erasing information again and again.

The system flips DNA sequences back and forth between two states, basically the genetic equivalent of a binary switch. One DNA orientation equates to “one,” and the other equates to “zero.” The process uses an enzyme taken from bacteriophages to cut and recombine the DNA. The recombinase enzyme moves to a particular swath of DNA and flips it around so its base pairs basically read backward, and a second signal flips it back.

Stanford researchers Jerome Bonnet and Drew Endy call it a “recombinase addressable data” module, or RAD. The team worked for three years to find the right balance of proteins that would reliably flip the DNA sequences back and forth without degrading.

To test whether it worked, the team modified E. coli bacteria to fluoresce in different colors depending on the state of the DNA bit. In lab tests so far, it’s been able to monitor the activity of E. coli as they double more than 100 times. The team’s goal is to produce a byte, combining 8 of these RAD bits to build a larger memory system.

The work appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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4 Comments

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harrydecker

05/22/12 at 2:28 pm

my friend's mom made $15485 last week. she been making cash on the laptop and got a $347900 condo. All she did was get lucky and use the guide revealed on this web site tinyurl.com/csqb86r

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drchuck1

05/22/12 at 2:40 pm

another step towards combining hardware and biology? if you can't beat em', join em', cheers

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alcoholicAFRICAN

05/22/12 at 4:26 pm

also a safer place to store my porn.

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Robot

05/22/12 at 5:03 pm

I believe it was a lack of understanding of our DNA that gave rise to a large part of it being called junk DNA. Once we understand truly how read and unlock its code, then the wisdom of the Gods\Aliens\Annunaki who made us will be revealed and a longer history of humanity as well.

.............................
Science sees no further than what it can sense, i.e. facts.
Religion sees beyond the senses, i.e. faith.
Open your mind and see!

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