Nucleic Acid-Based Computing in Living Cells Using Strand Displacement Processes

Nucleic acid strand displacement reactions are among the most widely used processes for DNA-based molecular computing. As strand displacement is inherently compatible with a range of biological processes, it has been increasingly applied also to computing in living cells. In bacteria, mRNAs containing switchable riboregulators have been designed to respond to both synthetic and natural inputs. More recent efforts have created transcriptional circuits using nucleic acid-responsive guide RNAs for CRISPR-associated nucleases. In slowly dividing mammalian cells, circuits made from chemically stabilized nucleic acid components can be delivered externally. Combining these recent advances could make strand displacement computing a useful tool both in cell biology research and in therapeutics.