Linearly programmed DNA-based molecular computer operated on magnetic particle surface in test-tube

The postgenomic era has seen an emergence of new applications of DNA manipulation technologies, including DNA-based molecular computing. Surface DNA computing has already been reported in a number of studies that, however, all employ different mechanisms other than automaton functions. Here we describe a programmable DNA surface-computing device as a Turing machine-like finite automaton. The laboratory automaton is primarily composed of DNA (inputs, output-detectors, transition molecules as software), DNA manipulating enzymes and buffer system that solve artificial computational problems autonomously. When fluoresceins were labeled in the 5′ end of (−) strand of the input molecule, direct observation of all reaction intermediates along the time scale was made so that the dynamic process of DNA computing could be conveniently visualized. The features of this study are: (i) achievement of finite automaton functions by linearly programmed DNA computer operated on magnetic particle surface and (ii) direct detection of all DNA computing intermediates by capillary electrophoresis. Since DNA computing has the massive parallelism and feasibility for automation, this achievement sets a basis for large-scale implications of DNA computing for functional genomics in the near future.