DNA Reaction System that Acquires Classical Conditioning

Biochemical reaction networks can exhibit plastic adaptation to alter their functions in response to environmental changes. This capability is derived from the structure and dynamics of the reaction networks and the functionality of the biomolecule. This plastic adaptation in biochemical reaction systems is essentially related to memory and learning capabilities, which have been studied in DNA computing applications for the past decade. However, designing DNA reaction systems with memory and learning capabilities using the dynamic properties of biochemical reactions remains challenging. In this study, we propose a basic DNA reaction system design that acquires classical conditioning, a phenomenon underlying memory and learning, as a typical learning task. Our design is based on a simple mechanism of five DNA strand displacement reactions and two degradative reactions. The proposed DNA circuit can acquire or lose a new function under specific conditions, depending on the input history formed by repetitive stimuli, by exploiting the dynamic properties of biochemical reactions induced by different input timings.