title: Biologically relevant molecular transducer with increased computing power and iterative abilities.
abstract: As computing devices, which process data and interconvert information, transducers can encode new information and use their output for subsequent computing, offering high computational power that may be equivalent to a universal Turing machine. We report on an experimental DNA-based molecular transducer that computes iteratively and produces biologically relevant outputs. As a proof of concept, the transducer accomplished division of numbers by 3. The iterative power was demonstrated by a recursive application on an obtained output. This device reads plasmids as input and processes the information according to a predetermined algorithm, which is represented by molecular software. The device writes new information on the plasmid using hardware that comprises DNA-manipulating enzymes. The computation produces dual output: a quotient, represented by newly encoded DNA, and a remainder, represented by E. coli phenotypes. This device algorithmically manipulates genetic codes.
authors.affiliation: Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ratner
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piran
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jonoska
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Keinan
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001483:Base Sequence; D039301:Computers, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005815:Genetic Code; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D014159:Transducers
chemical_list: D004247:DNA