Personal cellular computer
Mammalian cells turned into biocomputers
Among them, the most complex to date are the half–summator and half-reader. The work (Auslander et al., Programmable single-cell mammalian biocomputers) is published in the journal Nature, its brief description (Molecular algebra in mammalian cells) is published on the website of the Swiss Higher Technical School of Zurich.
In the DNA of mammalian cells grown in Petri dishes, the researchers introduced genes encoding receptors, transcription factors and other proteins. The initial data for the calculation in the artificial genetic network were the concentrations of two substances – erythromycin and floretin, substances that are not found in mammalian cells, but are known in other organisms. By binding to their artificially introduced receptors, these substances activated special genes, the interaction between which was the basis of the calculation. The results of the calculation could be judged by the production of two fluorescent proteins – green and red.
For example, if the device worked on the principle of a logical half–summator, then the green protein was produced in response to erythromycin or phloretin, and the red protein was produced only when they were simultaneously present. When working in the semi-feeder mode, the red protein was produced in the presence of erythromycin, but only when there was no floretin (figure: wikipedia / J.Kuster ETH Zurich).
The developed devices can help biologists create artificial genetic networks that are difficult to respond to external conditions. They can also be useful for creating synthetic organisms with new functions. In the arsenal of synthetic biology, there are already simple storage devices and relays.
Usually artificial genetic networks are created for use in bacteria, so the work done on mammalian cells has additional value for biologists. In nuclear organisms (in mammals in particular), due to the peculiarities of the functioning of the genome and the total complexity of genetic networks, the work of foreign genes is often impossible.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru05.06.2012