Several media outlets have been reporting on the topic of DNA transistors, which use genetic material as a type of switch inside of a cell. NPR has a pretty good description of the project and a link to a YouTube video:

Transistors are simple on/off switches. Computers are made of many millions of these switches. And to program a cell, you need a biological version. As Endy reports this week in Science, he managed to make one out of DNA.

His switch, which he calls a “transcriptor,” is a piece of DNA that he can flip on and off, using chemicals called enzymes. Endy put several of these DNA switches inside his bacteria. He could use the switches to build logic circuits that program each cell’s behavior. For example, he could tell a cell to change color in the presence of both enzyme A and enzyme B. That’s a simple program: IF enzyme A AND enzyme B [are present] THEN turn green. For an in-depth look, check out Endy’s own explanation on YouTube.

There is also the following graphical explanation:

The enzymes turn on the switch and allow the transcription of a DNA sequence into RNA. This transcription will then lead to some observable cellular phenomenon. Note that both enzymes must be present in a cell for the switch to be turned on.

The research appears in Science.