Nature407 Logical computation using algorithmic self-assembly.pdfVIP

Logical computation using algorithmic self-assembly of DNA triple-crossover molecules 10/19/00 3:28 PM 28 September 2000 Nature 4 0 7, 493 - 496 (2000) © Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Logical computation using algorithmic self-assembly of DNA triple-crossover molecules CHENGDE MAO*, THOMAS H. LABEAN†, JOHN H. REIF† NADRIAN C. SEEMAN* * Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, 10003, USA † Department of Computer Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27707, USA Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to N.C.S. (e-mail: ned.seeman@). 1-3 Recent work has demonstrated the self-assembly of designed periodic two-dimensional arrays composed of DNA tiles, in which the intermolecular contacts are directed by sticky ends. In a mathematical context, 4 aperiodic mosaics may be formed by the self-assembly of Wang tiles , a process that emulates the operation 5 of a Turing machine. Macroscopic self-assembly has been used to perform computations ; there is also a 6, 7 logical equivalence between DNA sticky ends and Wang tile edges . This suggests that the self-assembly of 8 DNA-based tiles could be used to perform DNA-based computation . Algorithmic aperiodic self-assembly requires greater fidelity than periodic self-assembly, because correct tiles must compete with partially correct