Engineered Spore-Forming Bacillus as a Microbial Vessel for Long-Term DNA Data Storage

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Synthetic Biology
• Data Storage

Background:

• Conventional data storage methods face limitations in long-term stability and density.
• DNA data storage offers potential for high density, stability, and sustainability.
• Living organisms provide error-correcting capabilities for high-fidelity DNA data replication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a Bacillus bacterial chassis integrated with an inducible artificial chromosome for data storage.
• To enable random data access within a biological system.
• To evaluate the stability and accuracy of DNA data stored in Bacillus spores under stress conditions.

Main Methods:

• Generation of DNA sequences using a rudimentary coding system linked to a regulatory promoter.
• Integration of data-encoding genes into an inducible artificial bacterial chromosome within a Bacillus chassis.
• Long-term storage using sporulated Bacillus, followed by viability assays under thermal, oxidative, and UV stress.

Main Results:

• Data accuracy remained above 99% after high temperature and oxidative stress treatments.
• Data accuracy exceeded 96% following UV irradiation treatment.
• The developed Bacillus chassis and artificial chromosome demonstrated stability and high fidelity for DNA data storage.

Conclusions:

• The engineered Bacillus chassis with an artificial chromosome is a viable platform for robust DNA data storage.
• This system facilitates long-term archiving of large data volumes through DNA digital encoding.
• The approach shows promise for sustainable and high-density data storage solutions.