Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32141239›Full record

ArticleMolecular systems biology2020

Programming Escherichia coli to function as a digital display.

Jonghyeon Shin, Shuyi Zhang, Bryan S Der, Alec Ak Nielsen, Christopher A Voigt

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular systems biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed, 73 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  4. Hashing the message with cells.Nature chemical biology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jonghyeon ShinDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Shuyi ZhangDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Bryan S DerDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Alec Ak NielsenDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Christopher A VoigtDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0844-4776
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US

Funding

MIT Center for Integrative Synthetic BiologyP50GM098792 · NIGMS · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI WEISS, RON · 2013 to 2017
$11.0M
NIGMS NIH HHS P50 GM098792
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Synthetic genetic circuits offer the potential to wield computational control over biology, but their complexity is limited by the accuracy of mathematical models. Here, we present advances that enable the complete encoding of an electronic chip in the DNA carried by Escherichia coli (E. coli). The chip is a binary-coded digit (BCD) to 7-segment decoder, associated with clocks and calculators, to turn on segments to visualize 0-9. Design automation is used to build seven strains, each of which contains a circuit with up to 12 repressors and two activators (totaling 63 regulators and 76,000 bp DNA). The inputs to each circuit represent the digit to be displayed (encoded in binary by four molecules), and output is the segment state, reported as fluorescence. Implementation requires an advanced gate model that captures dynamics, promoter interference, and a measure of total power usage (RNAP flux). This project is an exemplar of design automation pushing engineering beyond that achievable "by hand", essential for realizing the potential of biology.

Indexed as

AlgorithmsArtificial IntelligenceComputer Storage DevicesEquipment DesignEscherichia coliSignal Processing, Computer-AssistedSynthetic Biologydesign automationEscherichia coligenetic circuitslogic gatessynthetic biology

Identifiers

PMID32141239
PMCPMC7058928
OpenAlexW3010331696

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.