Skip to main content
Log in

Enforcing logical delays in DNA computing systems

  • Published:
Natural Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

DNA computing has the potential to create powerful devices, but, in the context of well-mixed systems, sequentiality of operations is hard to achieve. To enforce such sequentiality, we propose a generic delay gate that can be interfaced with virtually any DNA system. Since it is system-independent, our delay gate can be used as an off-the-shelf library to accelerate the design of increasingly complex systems. Additionally, we checked the feasibility of our design by testing various in vitro implementations. We also present a theoretical proof of concept of its applicability by using it to complement an existing DNA module library, the DNA toolbox, to design new systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benenson Y, Gil B, Ben-Dor U, Adar R, Shapiro E (2004) An autonomous molecular computer for logical control of gene expression. Nature 429(6990):423–429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Condon A, Hu AJ, Maňuch J, Thachuk C (2012) Less haste, less waste: on recycling and its limits in strand displacement systems. Interface Focus 2(4):512–521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujii T, Rondelez Y (2012) Predator–prey molecular ecosystems. ACS Nano 7(1):27–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genot AJ, Zhang DY, Bath J, Turberfield AJ (2011) Remote toehold: a mechanism for flexible control of DNA hybridization kinetics. J Am Chem Soc 133(7):2177–2182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genot AJ, Fujii T, Rondelez Y (2012) Computing with competition in biochemical networks. Phys Rev Lett 109(20):208102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genot AJ, Fujii T, Rondelez Y (2013) Scaling down DNA circuits with competitive neural networks. J R Soc Interface 10(85):20130212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagiya M, Arita M, Kiga D, Sakamoto K, Yokoyama S (1999) Towards parallel evaluation and learning of boolean-formulas with molecules, vol. 48. DNA based computers III, DIMACS series in discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science. pp 57–72

  • Koshkin AA, Singh SK, Nielsen P, Rajwanshi VK, Kumar R, Meldgaard M, Wengel J (1998) LNA (locked nucleic acids): synthesis of the adenine, cytosine, guanine, 5-methylcytosine, thymine and uracil bicyclonucleoside monomers, oligomerisation, and unprecedented nucleic acid recognition. Tetrahedron 54(14):3607–3630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamport L (1977a) Concurrent reading and writing. Commun ACM 20(11):806–811

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Lamport L (1977b) Proving the correctness of multiprocess programs. IEEE Trans Softw Eng 3(2):125–143

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Montagne K, Plasson R, Sakai Y, Fujii T, Rondelez Y (2011a) Programming an in vitro DNA oscillator using a molecular networking strategy. Mol Syst Biol 7(1):466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montagne K, Plasson R, Padirac A, Fujii F, Rondelez Y (2011b) A toolbox to build time-responsive in vitro DNA networks. In: Oral presentation, 17th international conference of DNA computing and molecular programming

  • Padirac A, Fujii T, Rondelez Y (2012a) Quencher-free multiplexed monitoring of DNA reaction circuits. Nucleic Acids Res 40(15):e118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Padirac A, Fujii T, Rondelez Y (2012b) Bottom-up construction of in vitro switchable memories. Proc Natl Acad Sci 109(47):E3212–E3220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pei R, Matamoros E, Liu M, Stefanovic D, Stojanovic MN (2010) Training a molecular automaton to play a game. Nat Nanotechnol 5(11):773–777

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qian L, Winfree E (2011) Scaling up digital circuit computation with DNA strand displacement cascades. Science 332(6034):1196–1201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soloveichik D, Seelig G, Winfree E (2010) DNA as a universal substrate for chemical kinetics. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107(12):5393–5398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thachuk C, Condon A (2012) Space and energy efficient computation with DNA strand displacement systems, vol. 7433. In: DNA computing and molecular programming. Lecture notes in computer science. pp 135–149

  • Whitcombe D, Theaker J, Guy SP, Brown T, Little S (1999) Detection of PCR products using self-probing amplicons and fluorescence. Nat Biotechnol 17:804–807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang DY, Winfree E (2009) Control of DNA strand displacement kinetics using toehold exchange. J Am Chem Soc 131(47):17303–17314

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nathanaël Aubert.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Aubert, N., Rondelez, Y., Fujii, T. et al. Enforcing logical delays in DNA computing systems. Nat Comput 13, 559–572 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-014-9450-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-014-9450-9

Keywords

Navigation