Dynamic self-assembly in living systems as computation

Biochemical reactions taking place in living systems that map different inputs to specific outputs are intuitively recognized as performing information processing. Conventional wisdom distinguishes such proteins, whose primary function is to transfer and process information, from proteins that perform the vast majority of the construction, maintenance, and actuation tasks of the cell (assembling and disassembling macromolecular structures, producing movement, and synthesizing and degrading molecules). In this paper, we examine the computing capabilities of biological processes in the context of the formal model of computing known as the random access machine (RAM) [Dewdney AK (1993) The New Turing Omnibus. Computer Science Press, New York], which is equivalent to a Turing machine [Minsky ML (1967) Computation: Finite and Infinite Machines. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ]. When viewed from the RAM perspective, we observe that many of these dynamic self-assembly processes

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2006
• Where: NC
• Authors: Ann M. Bouchard, Gordon C. Osbourn
• Keywords: Dynamic Self-assembly, Living Systems, NC 1998, NC 2006, Protein