Simplifying the role of signals in tile self-assembly

Abstract

Sending signals through DNA-based structures is one of the methods used to enhance the capabilities of DNA self-assembly systems. Signal Tile Assembly Models at temperature one, in supertile-to-supertile attachment mode, have been showed to have universal computational power. We introduce a simplified signal tile assembly model, in one-tile-at-a-time attachment mode, and where signals can only be used to deactivate glues. We prove that such a simplified system at temperature one can still simulate a Turing machine. We also present a simplified signal tile assembly system, in supertile-to-supertile attachment mode, that assembles a thin, $$N \times N!$$ , rectangle and has tile complexity $$O(\log N)$$ . This result is an improvement over the tile complexity of existing models for thin rectangle self-assembly.