Rewritable DNA memory

in Papers of Interest (Rewritable DNA Memory Byte):

Format: Journal Abstract
Title: “Rewritable Digital Data Storage in live cells via engineered control of Recombination Directionality”
Authors: Jerome Bonnet, Pakpoom Subsoontorn, and Drew Endy (Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, USA)
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publication Date: 21 May 2012
(c) Attribution: ©2012 by the National Academy of Sciences

Synopsis: “[...] We demonstrate a rewriteable recombinase addressable data (RAD) module that reliably stores digital information within a chromosome. RAD modules use serine integrase and excisionase functions adapted from bacteriophage to invert and restore specific DNA sequences. Our core RAD memory element is capable of passive information storage in the absence of heterologous gene expression for over 100 cell divisions and can be switched repeatedly without performance degradation, as is required to support combinatorial data storage. [...] demonstrate how programmed stochasticity in RAD system performance arising from bidirectional recombination can be achieved and tuned by varying the synthesis and degradation rates of recombinase proteins. The serine recombinase functions used here do not require cell-specific cofactors and should be useful in extending computing and control methods to the study and engineering of many biological systems.”

Full Abstract at http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1202344109.