Application
Our project contributes to the improvement of the modularity of artificial biological system and has a bright prospect in synthetic biology. In addition to treating the recombinase system as a simple response at two input levels, our project also achieved the modification and utilization of the response interval of the system. The application of relay in genetic circuit helps to improve the modularity of artificial biological system.
Theoretically, different response intervals can be achieved by using different integrases or by adjust-ing the RBS sequences in the integrase translational units. That is, we can construct a biological re-lay library with parameterized functional database.Genetic circuit designer can choose the proper set of relay module to fix their control circuit and working circuit through simulation using the parameter database in Silico. Compared with the classi-cal trail-and-error method, this mix-and-match method is more efficient and less laborious.
For example, We can fine-tune and place integrases one by one according to their responding intensity., with the increasing input intensity, the functional DNAs that are corresponding to integrases would be modified and deactivated one by one, we can use the output of a biosensor as input and the different FP's state as output. Such design can be used in the detection field, by adding different promoters, our project can detect a variety of indexes like disease and environment. For example, if we add a promotor which detect blood glucose, our project will response the final result by different color range. If the blood sugar is too low, the system will show one color, another color if it is normal (intermediate), and a third color if it is excessive. The same applies to the environment and other areas as well. Theoretically we can extend our system indefinitely by adding different integrases and fluorescent proteins. Our project can also be used to build circuit like Flip Flop—a circuit that has two stable states and can be used to store state information. A flip-flop is a bistable multivibrator. The circuit can be made to change state by signals applied to one or more control inputs and will have one or two outputs. It is the basic storage element in sequential logic.
Demonstration
According to the advice from Liu fawen, a professional in electronic relay area(See our Integrated Human Practice). We decided to construct an ADC(Analog-to-Digital Converter) system as a demonstration platform, which can convert the consecutive analog quantities (the strength of an in-ducible promoter) into discrete digital signals (indicated by different chromoproteins) and thus al-lows the digitalization of the processing and the storage of signals.
↑ Electromagnetic relay based ADC (left) circuit and recombinase based biological relay based ADC (right) circuit.
See the demostration result in the Results page.
