STWM: Sliding Time Window Method Driven by Enzymes for Image Information Access

DNA molecular circuits are pivotal to biological information processing, where precise temporal regulation is essential for programmable molecular computation and controllable biochemical networks. Nevertheless, incorporating time as a regulatory parameter for information access remains a major challenge. We present a programmable sliding time window method (STWM) based on exonuclease III (Exo III), enabling the construction of temporally regulated molecular circuits for information access and supporting the complete workflow of image data encoding and decoding. By tuning the position of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites, as well as the concentrations of Exo III and AP strands, we achieved multivariable regulation over the time window for molecular signal processing. Additionally, we designed a DNA molecular circuit incorporating time window functionality, which facilitated signal-guided directional shifting and continuous processing within defined temporal intervals. This approach was successfully applied to image decoding, enabling compilation and reconstruction of a 4 × 4 image matrix. The proposed strategy provides a reusable and tunable framework for molecular timing control, offering an avenue for future applications in molecular computing, bioinformation processing, and intelligent biosensing.