Microbial Circuits: A New Paradigm in Computing

Issue: Vol.2 No.1

Authors:

Saif Ali Sikander Hayat (Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi)

Keywords: DNA inverter, Microbial circuits, Lac Operon, Gene ExpPession. Set Valued Logic

Abstract: 

The essence of the classical computation paradigm is the processing of strings of (Is and Is. 11w basic components conslituttag the entire muss of classical computers arc logic gates fabricated from semiconductor material. In this model a high voltage at the input of a gate amounts to a I and a low voltage to a 0. Broadly speaking, we may slate that the presence of a certain stimulus, which may be of anyform signifies a land the absence of this stimulus a 0. Efforts have been continually made to develop new methods ofcomputation by varying the nature of these stimuli. This study intends to show how DNA -the "molecule of life", may function as a logic gate. An attempt is made to demonstrate how existing genetic regulatory mechanisms of repression and transcription may he harnessed to engineer in viva digital circuits. We propose to conduct an experiment to discuss the feasibility of DNA working as an inverter. This experiment is based on the four basic processes of molecular biology namely, transcription - the formation of RNA from DNA, repression -deactivation of a gene by a repressor protein, the central dogma - the unidirectional flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein and the "one gene - one polypeptide" hypothesis of Beadle and Tatum. The presence of a repressor is considered as a logic 1 and its absence a 0. Logic signals are represented by the synthesis rate of DNA binding protein as stated in the "Operon Mode" given by Jacob and Monod in 1961. The results obtained will be analyzed with respect to the feasibility and robustness of this model of the DNA inverter. We also propose methods to combine microbial gates to form more complex circuits.