A mirror-image protein-based information barcoding and storage technology
Ji-Shen Zheng1, Jun Liang2, Wei-Wei Shi3
1Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.
This study introduces a novel information barcoding and storage method using mirror-image proteins synthesized with D-amino acids. This technology offers a potentially more stable and durable alternative to natural biopolymers for data encoding.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Traditional information storage relies on natural biopolymers, which can degrade over time.
- Developing robust and stable data encoding methods is crucial for long-term information preservation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a novel information barcoding and storage technology using chemically synthesized mirror-image proteins.
- To evaluate the stability and retrieval efficiency of this new biopolymer-based data storage system.
Main Methods:
- Encoding information into mirror-image proteins using D-amino acids.
- Synthesizing and fusing these proteins into materials to create information-encoded objects.
- Extracting, cleaving, and sequencing proteins using biotin-streptavidin, Ni(II) catalysis, and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Main Results:
- Successfully encoded Chinese words into mirror-image proteins.
- Fused these proteins onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film.
- Retrieved and decoded the information using LC-MS/MS sequencing.
Conclusions:
- Mirror-image protein-based technology provides a viable method for information barcoding and storage.
- This approach demonstrates potential for enhanced stability and durability compared to natural biopolymers.
