Cited by 132Origins and Evolution of LifeDNA and Biological ComputingAdvanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques

Robust self-replication of combinatorial information via crystal growth and scission

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Schulman, Rebecca, Yurke, Bernard, Winfree, Erik·2012·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Understanding how a simple chemical system can accurately replicate combinatorial information, such as a sequence, is an important question for both the study of life in the universe and for the development of evolutionary molecular design techniques. During biological sequence replication, a nucleic acid polymer serves as a template for the enzyme-catalyzed assembly of a complementary sequence. Enzymes then separate the template and complement before the next round of replication. Attempts to understand how replication could occur more simply, such as without enzymes, have largely focused on developing minimal versions of this replication process. Here we describe how a different mechanism, crystal growth and scission, can accurately replicate chemical sequences without enzymes. Crystal growth propagates a sequence of bits while mechanically-induced scission creates new growth fronts. Together, these processes exponentially increase the number of crystal sequences. In the system we describe, sequences are arrangements of DNA tile monomers within ribbon-shaped crystals. 99.98% of bits are copied correctly and 78% of 4-bit sequences are correct after two generations; roughly 40 sequence copies are made per growth front per generation. In principle, this process is accurate enough for 1,000-fold replication of 4-bit sequences with 50% yield, replication of longer sequences, and Darwinian evolution. We thus demonstrate that neither enzymes nor covalent bond formation are required for robust chemical sequence replication. The form of the replicated information is also compatible with the replication and evolution of a wide class of materials with precise nanoscale geometry such as plasmonic nanostructures or heterogeneous protein assemblies.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1073/pnas.1117813109

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  • There are examples of DNA origami that undergo self-replication based on growth and division processes analogous to those of membrane systems.

    “There are examples of DNA origami that undergo self-replication based on growth and division processes analogous to those of membrane systems (Schulman et al. 2012).”

    From Protocells and RNA Self-Replication (2018) · cites this paper as Schulman et al. 2012

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Authors
Schulman, R., Yurke, B., & Winfree, E.
Affiliations
  • California Institute of Technology (US)
  • Boise State University (US)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2012-04-09
Volume
109
Issue
17
Pages
6405-6410
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W2070783600
Cited by
132
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 5
FWCI
7.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • Scholar Works (Boise State University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (0832824)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Adolph C. and Mary Sprague Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California Berkeley
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Biological Computing
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
Keywords
DNA tile self-assembly, crystal growth, data replication, DNA origami, plasmonic nanostructures
MeSH terms
Crystallization, DNA, DNA Replication, Evolution, Molecular, Biocatalysis

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