英國研究人員最近用細(xì)菌和基因手段開發(fā)出一種可模塊化的新型“生物邏輯門”，為研制生物計算機(jī)鋪平道路,。
邏輯門是計算機(jī)的基礎(chǔ)，它是一種對輸入的信息進(jìn)行邏輯運算,，然后輸出信息的裝置,。通過對不同邏輯門進(jìn)行各種組合，就可搭建出復(fù)雜的計算機(jī)電路,。
英國帝國理工學(xué)院研究人員在新一期《自然—通訊》雜志上報告說,，新型“生物邏輯門”是通過對一種無害的大腸桿菌進(jìn)行基因改造而實現(xiàn)，即用蛋白質(zhì)等作為輸入信息和輸出信息,，完成邏輯運算,，從而具有與當(dāng)前計算機(jī)所用電路邏輯門類似的信息處理能力。
更重要的是,，這種“生物邏輯門”可以模塊化地進(jìn)行邏輯門之間的疊加,。而以前雖然也有一些研究實現(xiàn)了“生物邏輯門”，但缺少這種模塊化疊加的功能,，因此本次研究成果是迄今最先進(jìn)的,。
論文共同作者理查德·凱特利教授說，接下來將嘗試用這種方法構(gòu)建更復(fù)雜的邏輯回路,，希望能在此基礎(chǔ)上開發(fā)出新一代的生物處理器,，并最終研制出功能強大的生物計算機(jī)。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
doi:10.1038/ncomms1516
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Engineering modular and orthogonal genetic logic gates for robust digital-like synthetic biology
Baojun Wang; Richard I Kitney; Nicolas Joly; Martin Buck
Modular and orthogonal genetic logic gates are essential for building robust biologically based digital devices to customize cell signalling in synthetic biology. Here we constructed an orthogonal AND gate in Escherichia coli using a novel hetero-regulation module from Pseudomonas syringae. The device comprises two co-activating genes hrpR and hrpS controlled by separate promoter inputs, and a σ54-dependent hrpL promoter driving the output. The hrpL promoter is activated only when both genes are expressed, generating digital-like AND integration behaviour. The AND gate is demonstrated to be modular by applying new regulated promoters to the inputs, and connecting the output to a NOT gate module to produce a combinatorial NAND gate. The circuits were assembled using a parts-based engineering approach of quantitative characterization, modelling, followed by construction and testing. The results show that new genetic logic devices can be engineered predictably from novel native orthogonal biological control elements using quantitatively in-context characterized parts.
