The ability to record transcriptional events within a cell over time would help to elucidate how molecular events give rise to complex cellular behaviours and states. However, current molecular recording technologies capture only a small set of defined stimuli. Here we use CRISPR spacer acquisition to capture and convert intracellular RNAs into DNA, enabling DNA-based storage of transcriptional information. In Escherichia coli, we show that defined stimuli, such as an RNA virus or arbitrary sequences, as well as complex stimuli, such as oxidative stress, result in quantifiable transcriptional records that are stored within a population of cells. We demonstrate that the transcriptional records enable us to classify and describe complex cellular behaviours and to identify the precise genes that orchestrate differential cellular responses. In the future, CRISPR spacer acquisition-mediated recording of RNA followed by deep sequencing (Record–seq) could be used to reconstruct transcriptional histories that describe complex cell behaviours or pathological states.An RNA-adapting CRISPR–Cas system is coupled with amplification and sequencing steps to record, retrieve and analyse changes in the transcriptome of a bacterial cell over time.

中文翻译：

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从 RNA 中获取 CRISPR 间隔区的转录记录

随着时间的推移记录细胞内转录事件的能力将有助于阐明分子事件如何引起复杂的细胞行为和状态。然而，当前的分子记录技术仅捕获一小组确定的刺激。在这里，我们使用 CRISPR 间隔物获取来捕获细胞内 RNA 并将其转化为 DNA，从而实现基于 DNA 的转录信息存储。在大肠杆菌中，我们展示了定义的刺激（如 RNA 病毒或任意序列）以及复杂的刺激（如氧化应激）会产生可量化的转录记录，这些记录存储在细胞群中。我们证明转录记录使我们能够对复杂的细胞行为进行分类和描述，并确定协调不同细胞反应的精确基因。