A mirror-image protein-based information barcoding and storage technology

Abstract A mirror-image protein-based information barcoding and storage technology wherein D-amino acids are used to encode information into mirror-image proteins that are chemically synthesized is described. These mirror-image proteins were then fused into various materials from which information-encoded objects were produced. Subsequently, the mirror-image proteins were extracted from the objects using biotin-streptavidin resin-mediated specific enrichment and cleaved using an Ni(II)-mediated selective peptide cleavage. Protein sequencing was accomplished using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and then transcoded into the recorded information. We demonstrated the use of this technology to encode Chinese words into mirror-image proteins, which were then fused onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate (PET) film and retrieved and decoded by LC-MS/MS sequencing. Compared to information barcoding and storage technologies using natural biopolymers, the mirror-image biopolymers used in our technology may be more stable and durable.