Our Project: Extensible Logic Circuit in Bacteria
Artificial Bio-Logic Circuit is composed of "logic gates" and "wires" like Digital Electronic Circuits. Though we have been enjoying the advantages of ultra-large-scale electronic circuits in modern life, we still cannot implement a somewhat small-scale circuit in vivo with several levels of gates.
Our project is to provide a new method for building up a fully extensible bio-logic circuit in bacteria. A small piece of DNA containing cis-acting elements and favored for its small scale and potential to implement complicated logic computation in vivo, can be systematically built up and act as a gate. Meanwhile, artificial repressors with highly-specified DNA-recognition regions are able to transmit signals without mutual interference, just as copper wires. In this way, a circuit can be constructed regardless of the number of logic gates and the manner of connections between the wires.
A demonstration system has also been assembled to show the practicality of this method.Just like Digital Electronic Circuits in early days, it is simple and ugly. But how will it appear in future?
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From left to right
Back row: Zhao Yun, Liu ZQ, Ma XY
Front row: Ma Rui, Su XF, Ding Bo, Zhan Jian
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