IP Library Granted Patent US 8,645,115
Granted Patent B2
US 8,645,115 · App. 13/141,165 · Granted Feb 4, 2014

Modular nucleic acid-based circuits for counters, binary operations, memory and logic

Inventors: James J Collins (Newton, MA); Timothy Lu (Cambridge, MA)
Assignees: Trustees of Boston University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,645,115
App. No.
13/141,165
Granted
Feb 4, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

We have created novel engineered genetic counter designs and methods of use thereof that utilize DNA recombinases to provide modular systems, termed single invertase memory modules (SIMMs), for encoding memory in cells and cellular systems. Our designs are easily extended to compute to high numbers, by utilizing the >100 known recombinases to create subsequent modules. Flexibility in our engineered genetic counter designs is provided by daisy-chaining individual modular components, i.e., SIMMs together. These modular components of the engineered genetic counters can be combined in other network topologies to create circuits that perform, amongst other things, logic and memory. Our novel engineered genetic counter designs allow for the maintenance of memory and provide the ability to count between discrete states by expressing the recombinases between their cognate recognition sites.

Claims (41)

1. A single invertase memory module (SIMM) engineered nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition site (RRS for ), an inverted promoter sequence (iP inv ), a recombinase sequence (RC) and a reverse recombinase recognition site (RRS rev ), [RRS for - iP inv -RC -RRS rev ], where the recombinase encoded by the recombinase sequence is specific for the forward and reverse recombination recognition sites.

2. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a ribosome binding site (RBS).

3. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a transcriptional terminator sequence (T).

4. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein degradation tag sequence (D).

5. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a ribosome binding site (RBS) and a transcriptional terminator sequence (T).

6. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a ribosome binding site (RBS) and a protein degradation tag sequence (D).

7. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a protein degradation tag sequence (D) and a transcriptional terminator sequence (T).

8. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 , further comprising an output nucleic acid sequence encoding an output product.

9. The single invertase memory module engineered nucleic acid molecule of claim 8 , wherein the output product is a reporter protein, a transcriptional repressor, a transcriptional activator, a selection marker, an enzyme, a receptor protein, a ligand protein, an RNA, a riboswitch or a short-hairpin RNA.

10. An inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding: an inducible promoter sequence (iP A ), at least one single invertase memory module (SIMM), and an output product (OP), where the SIMM comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition sequence (RRS for ), an inverted inducible promoter sequence (iP 1,inv ), a ribosome binding site (RBS), a recombinase gene sequence (RC), a degradation tag sequence (D), a transcriptional terminator sequence (T), and a reverse recombinase recognition sequence (RRS rev ), such that the inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the following components:

iP A -[RRS 1,for - iP 1,inv -RBS-RC 1 -D-T-RRS 1,rev ] n -OP,

wherein iP A and the iP 1 of each SIMM are responsive to the same inducer, wherein the recombinase encoded by each at least one SIMM is specific for the forward and reverse recombinase recognition site of that SIMM, and wherein n is an integer value ≧1.

11. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , wherein the recombinase encoded by each at least one SIMM is a different recombinase from each other SIMM.

12. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , further comprising an inverted promoter nucleic acid sequence downstream of the reverse recombination recognition site of at least one SIMM.

13. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , further comprising an output nucleic acid sequence encoding an output product downstream of the recombinase sequence of at least one SIMM.

14. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , further comprising an inverted output nucleic acid sequence encoding an output product downstream of the transcriptional terminator sequence of at least one SIMM.

15. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , wherein the output product encoded by the output nucleic acid sequence is a reporter protein, a transcriptional repressor, a transcriptional activator, a selection marker, an enzyme, a receptor protein, a ligand protein, an RNA, a riboswitch or a short-hairpin RNA.

16. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , further comprising an RBS nucleic acid sequence upstream of the output nucleic acid sequence.

17. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , wherein n is an integer value selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20.

18. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 , further comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding at least two SIMMs, where each one of the at least two SIMMs comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition sequence (RRS for ), an inverted inducible promoter sequence (iP inv ), a ribosome binding site (RBS), a recombinase gene sequence (RC), a degradation tag sequence (D), a transcriptional terminator sequence (T), and a reverse recombinase recognition sequence (RRS rev ), such that the inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the following components:

iP A -[RRS 1,for -iP inv -RBS-RC 1 -D-T-RRS 1,rev ] n -OP, and

wherein iP A and the iP 1 of the at least two SIMMs are each responsive to a different inducer from each other, wherein the recombinase encoded by each at least two SIMMs is specific for the forward and reverse recombinase recognition site of that SIMMs, and wherein n is an integer value ≧1.

19. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 18 , wherein the recombinase encoded by each at least two SIMMs is a different recombinase from each other SIMM.

20. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 18 , further comprising an inverted promoter nucleic acid sequence downstream of the reverse recombination recognition site of at least one SIMM.

21. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 18 , further comprising an output nucleic acid sequence encoding an output product downstream of the recombinase sequence of at least one SIMM.

22. The inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 18 , further comprising an inverted output nucleic acid sequence encoding an output product downstream of the transcriptional terminator sequence of at least one SIMM.

23. A method for counting at least one event in a cellular system comprising introducing the inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule of claim 10 into a cellular or non-cellular system for use in counting events in the cellular or non-cellular system.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule is introduced into the cellular or non-cellular system using a vector.

25. A single-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding: an inducible promoter sequence (iP A ), one single invertase memory module (SIMM), and an output product (OP), where the SIMM comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition sequence (RRS for ), an inverted inducible promoter sequence (iP 1,inv ), a ribosome binding site (RBS), a recombinase gene sequence (RC), a degradation tag sequence (D), a transcriptional terminator sequence (T), and a reverse recombinase recognition sequence (RRS rev ), such that the single-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the following components:

iP A -[RRS 1,for -iP 1,inv -RBS-RC 1 -D-T-RRS 1,rev ]-OP,

wherein iP A and iP 1 are responsive to the same inducer, and wherein the recombinase encoded by the SIMM is specific for the forward and reverse recombinase recognition site of the SIMM.

26. A single-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding: an inducible promoter sequence (iP A ), two single invertase memory modules (SIMMs), and an output product (OP), where each SIMM comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition sequence (RRS for ), an inverted inducible promoter sequence (iP inv ), a ribosome binding site (RBS), a recombinase gene sequence (RC), a degradation tag sequence (D), a transcriptional terminator sequence (T), and a reverse recombinase recognition sequence (RRS rev ), such that the single-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the following components:

iP A -[RRS 1,for -iP 1,inv -RBS-RC 1 -D-T-RRS 1,rev ]-[RRS 2,for -iP 1,inv -RBS-RC 2 -D-T-RRS 2,rev ]-OP,

wherein iP A and iP 1 are responsive to the same inducer, and wherein the recombinase encoded by each SIMM is specific for the forward and reverse recombinase recognition site of that SIMM .

27. A multiple-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding: an inducible promoter sequence (iP A ), one single invertase memory module (SIMM), and an output product (OP), where the SIMM comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition sequence (RRS for ), an inverted inducible promoter sequence (iP 1,inv ), a ribosome binding site (RBS), a recombinase gene sequence (RC), a degradation tag sequence (D), a transcriptional terminator sequence (T), and a reverse recombinase recognition sequence (RRS rev ), such that the multiple-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the following components:

iP A -[RRS 1,for -iP 1,inv -RBS-RC 1 -D-T-RRS 1,rev ]-OP,

wherein iP A and the iP 1 of the SIMM are responsive to different inducers from each other, and

wherein the recombinase encoded by the SIMM is specific for the forward and reverse recombinase recognition site of the SIMM.

28. A multiple-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding: an inducible promoter sequence (iP A ), two single invertase memory modules (SIMMs), and an output product (OP), where each SIMM comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding: a forward recombinase recognition sequence (RRS for ), an inverted inducible promoter sequence (iP inv ), a ribosome binding site (RBS), a recombinase gene sequence (RC), a degradation tag sequence (D), a transcriptional terminator sequence (T), and a reverse recombinase recognition sequence (RRS rev ), such that the multiple-inducer engineered genetic counter nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the following components:

iP A -[RRS 1,for -iP 1,inv -RBS-RC 1 -D-T-RRS 1,rev ]-[RRS 2,for -iP 2,inv -RBS-RC 2 -D-T-RRS 2,rev ] OP,

wherein iP A and the iP of at least one SIMM are responsive to different inducers from each other, and wherein the recombinase encoded by each SIMM is specific for the forward and reverse recombinase recognition site of that SIMM.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Jun 19, 2014
From: BOSTON UNIVERSITY CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS
To: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), U.S. DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS), U.S. GOVERNMENT
Reel/Frame 033202/0085 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 19, 2011
From: COLLINS, JAMES J.
To: TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 027085/0337 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61139958 · Dec 22, 2008
Related Publication 20120003630A1 · Jan 5, 2012