New discovery in the field of DNA computing
Posted on: 20/Aug/2015 9:49:10 AM
A study published in the journal Chemical Communications shows that the structure of DNA can be switched using copper salts and an agent called Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). EDTA is commonly found in shampoo and other household products. Previously, any switch in the DNA could be performed using acid. This would cause the DNA to fold up - an action called i-motif. With the current study, it is now known that DNA could be switched a second time, this time into a hair pin structure. Researchers used positively charged copper for the process. The switch can be reversed using EDTA.
This discovery is useful in nanotechnology. Here scientists use DNA to make tiny machines - a process called DNA computing. In DNA computing, computers are made from DNA rather than silicon.
Say researchers, It (the discovery) could also be used for detecting the presence of copper cations, which are highly toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms, in water. Our research shows how the structure of our genetic material - DNA - can be changed and used in a way we didn`t realise... A single switch was possible before - but we show for the first time how the structure can be switched twice. A potential application of this finding could be to create logic gates for DNA based computing. Logic gates are an elementary building block of digital circuits - used in computers and other electronic equipment... They are traditionally made using diodes or transistors which act as electronic switches. This research expands how DNA could be used as a switching mechanism for a logic gate in DNA-based computing or in nano-technology.
