[3S00m] 01. ASBA - Part 7

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM JST(1:30 AM - 1:45 AM UTC)

[3ASBA-04] Recording biological surroundings from within

○Sung Sun Yim¹ (1. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Korea))

Keywords:

Synthetic Biology,Molecular Recording,CRISPR Adaptation,Directed Evolution,Lineage Tracing

Complex and dynamic biological processes in microbial environments are often transient and difficult to access for direct and continuous measurement. Approaches that require destructive processing steps (e.g., RNA-seq) cannot provide temporal dynamics of the target information. Approaches that allow continuous monitoring (e.g., imaging) necessitate direct access to the target environment. On the other hand, DNA-based cellular recording offers the capacity to measure biologically relevant signals over time in places that are otherwise difficult to access, such as inside the body. Furthermore, the stored information in DNA can be coupled to gene regulation to directly report environmental states or control cellular logic operations. In this talk, I will describe a framework for storing temporal biological information directly in the genomes of a cell population. We developed a "biological tape recorder" in which biological signals trigger intracellular DNA production that is then recorded by the CRISPR-Cas adaptation system. This approach enables stable recording and maintenance of biological or digital data over multiple days and accurate reconstruction of temporal information by sequencing CRISPR arrays. Furthermore, I will describe my current efforts to improve temporal resolution and sensitivity of the system by directed evolution of CRISPR adaptation machineries. This emerging new modality of biological measurement will be key to gain novel insights in diverse biological processes and develop a variety of biotechnological applications.