Synthesis of programmable biological central processing system

摘要

Along with the rapid development of synthetic biology, the technology of biological computers has become increasingly mature in recent years. In this paper, we propose a structure for a biological central processing unit (Bio-CPU) based on biological binary computing features. The Bio-CPU is constructed from a class of biological circuits with specific functions and a genetic clock source to trigger a series of sequential steps. The biological logic gates change their outputs at two protein concentration levels (active and inactive statuses), and the genetic clock provides a periodic signal to synchronize actions of related biological sequential logic circuits. Design of the Bio-CPU partly imitates a silicon CPU with modifications to fit the features of biological units. The proposed structure consists of three major parts: a biological arithmetic logic unit (Bio-ALU), a biological control unit (Bio-CU), and a biological memory unit (Bio-MU). Biological details of the system synthesis are explained. Demonstrations have been conducted and presented to illustrate the function of each functional module.