R&D: Artificial Chromosome for Storage

National Science Review has published an article written by Weigang Chen, School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, and Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, Mingzhe Han, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, and SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, Jianting Zhou, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, and SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, Qi Ge, School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, Panpan Wang, School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, Xinchen Zhang, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, and SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, Siyu Zhu, Lifu Song, and Yingjin Yuan, Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China, and SynBio Research Platform, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.

Abstract: “DNA digital storage provides an alternative for information storage with high density and long-term stability. Here, we report the de novo design and synthesis of an artificial chromosome that encodes two pictures and a video clip. The encoding paradigm utilizing the superposition of sparsified error correction codewords and pseudo-random sequences tolerates base insertions/deletions and is well suited to error-prone nanopore sequencing for data retrieval. The entire 254 kb sequences were 95.27% occupied by encoded data. The Transformation-associated Recombination method was used in the construction of this chromosome from DNA fragments and necessary autonomous replication sequences. The stability was demonstrated by transmitting the data-carrying chromosome to the 100th generation. This study demonstrates a data storage method using encoded artificial chromosomes via in vivo assembly for write-once and stable replication for multiple retrievals, similar to a compact disc, with potential in the economically massive data distribution.“