Digital analysis of protein properties by an ensemble of DNA quadruplexes

Here we show how different principles developed in the area of molecular logic gates can be applied to diagnostic technologies for proteins. Simultaneous operation of YES NOT and PASS 1 logic gates, produced by a protein sensing ensemble of DNA G-quadruplexes, is used to encode concentration levels of medicinally important proteins. An AND logic gate is another example, where molecular computation can be used to follow the interaction between proteins and metal ions. Combination of molecular Boolean logic with combinatorial sensing is demonstrated as a general strategy to realizing small scale, real time diagnosis of a variety of protein samples.