Cited by 41DNA and Biological ComputingAdvanced Proteomics Techniques and ApplicationsAlgorithms and Data Compression

Data storage using peptide sequences

Open access
Ng, Cheuk Chi A., Tam, Wai Man, Yin, Haidi, Wu, Qian, So, Pui-Kin, Wong, Melody Yee-Man, Lau, Francis C. M., Yao, Zhong-Ping·2021·Nature Communications

Abstract

Humankind is generating digital data at an exponential rate. These data are typically stored using electronic, magnetic or optical devices, which require large physical spaces and cannot last for a very long time. Here we report the use of peptide sequences for data storage, which can be durable and of high storage density. With the selection of suitable constitutive amino acids, designs of address codes and error-correction schemes to protect the order and integrity of the stored data, optimization of the analytical protocol and development of a software to effectively recover peptide sequences from the tandem mass spectra, we demonstrated the feasibility of this method by successfully storing and retrieving a text file and the music file Silent Night with 40 and 511 18-mer peptides respectively. This method for the first time links data storage with the peptide synthesis industry and proteomics techniques, and is expected to stimulate the development of relevant fields.

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  • Apart from DNA, other organic molecules have been proposed for data storage, including peptide sequences and urethanes.

    “Apart from DNA, other organic molecules have been recently proposed.133,134 Two interesting examples are the use of peptide sequences for data storage, as reported by Ng et al.133 and the use of urethanes as reported by Dahlhauser et al.134”
  • In both peptide and urethane data storage cases, reading required the use of mass spectroscopy, with consequent limitations in costs and speed.

    “Unfortunately in both these cases, reading required the use of mass spectroscopy, with the consequent limitation in terms of costs and speed.”

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Authors
Ng, C. C. A., Tam, W. M., Yin, H., Wu, Q., So, P.-K., Wong, M. Y.-M., Lau, F. C. M., & Yao, Z.-P.
Affiliations
Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK)
Corresponding author
  • Lau, Francis C. M.
  • Yao, Zhong-Ping
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2021-07-13
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
4242-4242
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3173530340
Cited by
41
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 1
FWCI
2.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • PolyU Institutional Research Archive (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (81874306, 81601828)
  • Jinan University
  • Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Biological Computing
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Advanced Proteomics Techniques and Applications
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Algorithms and Data Compression
Keywords
peptide sequences, data storage density, error correction, address codes, tandem mass spectrometry, peptide synthesis, long-term data preservation
MeSH terms
Algorithms, Animals, Humans, Software, Databases, Protein, Proteomics

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