DNA Reaction-Diffusion Attractor Patterns

Living systems can form and recover complex chemical patterns with precisely sized features in the ranges of tens or hundreds of microns. We show how designed reaction-diffusion processes can likewise produce precise patterns, termed attractor patterns, that reform their precise shape after being perturbed. We use oligonucleotide reaction networks, photolithography, and microfluidic delivery to form precisely controlled attractor patterns and study the responses of these patterns to different localized perturbations. Linear and hill-shaped patterns formed and stabilized into shapes and at time scales consistent with reaction-diffusion models. When patterns were perturbed in particular locations with UV light, they reliably reformed their steady-state profiles. Recovery also occurred after repeated perturbations. By designing the far-from-equilibrium dynamics of a chemical system, this study shows how it is possible to design spatial patterns of molecules that are sustained and regenerated by continually evolving towards a specific steady state configuration.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the possibility of designing spatial patterns of molecules sustained and regenerated through far-from-equilibrium dynamics of a chemical system, by showing how designed reaction-diffusion processes can lead to the formation and recovery of precise patterns after perturbations. The use of attractor patterns formed by oligonucleotide reaction networks, photolithography, and microfluidic delivery allows for controlled responses to various localized perturbations, with the patterns reliably reforming their steady-state profiles even after repeated disturbances. The findings highlight the potential of this approach in creating stable and evolving chemical patterns.