Scientists Have Successfully Recorded Data To DNA In a Few Short Minutes (interestingengineering.com) 29
Researchers at Northwestern University have devised a new method for recording information to DNA that takes minutes rather than hours or days. Interesting Engineering reports: The researchers utilized a novel enzymatic system to synthesize DNA that records rapidly changing environmental signals straight into its sequences, and this method could revolutionize how scientists examine and record neurons inside the brain. To record intracellular molecular and digital data to DNA, scientists currently rely on multipart processes that combine new information with existing DNA sequences. This means that, for an accurate recording, they must stimulate and repress the expression of specific proteins, which can take over 10 hours to complete.
The new study's researchers hypothesized they could make this process faster by utilizing a new method they call "Time-sensitive Untemplated Recording using Tdt for Local Environmental Signals," or TURTLES. This way, they would synthesize completely new DNA rather than copying a template of it. The method enabled the data to be recorded into the genetic code in a matter of minutes. "Nature is good at copying DNA, but we really wanted to be able to write DNA from scratch," Northwestern engineering professor Keith E.J. Tyo, the paper's senior author, said, in the press release. "The ex vivo (outside the body) way to do this involves a slow, chemical synthesis. Our method is much cheaper to write information because the enzyme that synthesizes the DNA can be directly manipulated. State-of-the-art intracellular recordings are even slower because they require the mechanical steps of protein expression in response to signals, as opposed to our enzymes which are all expressed ahead of time and can continuously store information."
The new study's researchers hypothesized they could make this process faster by utilizing a new method they call "Time-sensitive Untemplated Recording using Tdt for Local Environmental Signals," or TURTLES. This way, they would synthesize completely new DNA rather than copying a template of it. The method enabled the data to be recorded into the genetic code in a matter of minutes. "Nature is good at copying DNA, but we really wanted to be able to write DNA from scratch," Northwestern engineering professor Keith E.J. Tyo, the paper's senior author, said, in the press release. "The ex vivo (outside the body) way to do this involves a slow, chemical synthesis. Our method is much cheaper to write information because the enzyme that synthesizes the DNA can be directly manipulated. State-of-the-art intracellular recordings are even slower because they require the mechanical steps of protein expression in response to signals, as opposed to our enzymes which are all expressed ahead of time and can continuously store information."
What sort of lifeform (Score:2)
does this end up with?
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None, it just encodes a bunch of proteins (or garbage).
Re:What sort of lifeform (Score:4, Interesting)
None, actually. It doesn't even code proteins that could affect the body.
The reason for this is chirality - or handedness. I believe practically all life on Earth is "right handed" - DNA, RNA, proteins are all coded for right-handed form, including the base amino acids.
You could toss in a bunch of left handed amino acids and the body can't use them because they don't actually fit in any of the bodily processes.
The end result is if you use left-handed amino acids to create your DNA, it's basically harmless inside a biological Earth being. That DNA just doesn't "work" even if you inject it into the cell because the enzymes and proteins just don't fit it so for all intents and purposes, they are inert.
It's an odd thing, but very useful to make sure you're not accidentally coding up a real virus or something - because we can't actually use it.
Even better, it lends itself to artificial synthesis because biologically your body produces and uses the right-handed amino acids, but synthetic amino acids will have an even mix of both left and right handed variants. Run it through biological processes and you'll eliminate the right handed molecules (used by the biological process) and be left with "useless" (to biology) left handed molecules.
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The reason for this is chirality - or handedness. I believe practically all life on Earth is "right handed" - DNA, RNA, proteins are all coded for right-handed form, including the base amino acids.
19 out of 20 amino acids are left handed. Proteins are very complex and sub units of a protein can have different handedness. Homochirality is an interesting topic, but not as simple as you make it out to be.
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Acronym Heaven (Score:2)
by utilizing a new method they call "Time-sensitive Untemplated Recording using Tdt for Local Environmental Signals," or TURTLES
I have no idea how practical DNA research will be, but I demand 50% of all government funding be directed to the guy who came up with that acronym...
Especially since the act of writing to DNA means essentially you are mutating it... They can only be a few billion shy of an additional process to tack on to make the writes more robust, and that can end up with the acronym NINJA.
Re:Acronym Heaven (Score:5, Funny)
So it IS turtles all the way down!
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But but but ... are they the SAME turtle?
Re: Acronym Heaven (Score:2)
"We describe here a method called Translational Mutation Next-Gen TURTLES, simply abbreviated TMNY. This method extends TURTLES to allow us to ninja in mutations in a rapidly prototypes genomic sequence. Cowabunga."
Re: Acronym Heaven (Score:2)
autocorrect ;(. TMNT
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Re: Acronym Heaven (Score:1)
Some clarifications (Score:3)
From wikipedia : DNA can exist in different forms – single-stranded (ssDNA) or double-stranded (dsDNA) ... Thus, most organisms use dsDNA to encode genetic information, whereas only a few viruses use ssDNA to store genetic information.
From the study's abstract : we developed a simplified system employing a single enzyme, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), to transduce environmental signals into DNA. TdT adds nucleotides to the 3-ends of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in a template-independent manner, selecting bases according to inherent preferences and environmental conditions. By characterizing TdT nucleotide selectivity under different conditions, we show that TdT can encode various physiologically relevant signals such as Co2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+ concentrations and temperature changes in vitro. Further, by considering the average rate of nucleotide incorporation, we show that the resulting ssDNA functions as a molecular ticker tape.
High speed turtles (Score:2)
I find it amusing that a technique being touted largely for its high speed should be given the moniker TURTLES. What is next? A memory enhancement technique called AMNESIA (A Memory Novel Enhancement System In Action)?
Why do I hear (Score:2)
The theme song for the 80s Ninja Turtles cartoon in my head?
Short minutes? (Score:3)
Are they like 50 seconds?
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It is an American thing. Like a short ton is 0.9 metric tons.
Or a US short pint is only 16 oz, or 0.8 British pints.
By using short seconds, they get more working hours in a day.
The moment we realize ... (Score:1)
So, what's the difference (Score:1)
How much data in minutes? (Score:2)
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This. You can successfully record data to DNA in a moment if all you need is a single bit.
We need to start somewhere. This new system might or might not lead to something, but we won't know until these people try.
It is still not that long ago, when people couldn't imagine anything else behind vacuum tubes for computing, let alone imagining people having the capacity of having a computer with a terabyte of flash disk space at home for storing lolcat videos.
Whoopdedo! (Score:2)
Wow. So what?
Man, NCIS Is Gonna LOVE this! (Score:2)
Really. And Hollywood in general.