Similarities in the way that nucleosomes are organized into chromatin in archaea and eukaryotes suggest that chromatin might have been involved in gene regulation before its role in DNA packaging evolved.
Alexandre Martinière, Aurélie Bak ... Martin Drucker
Cauliflower mosaic virus reacts immediately when aphids feed on the host plant, and this boosts its chances of being taken up and transmitted by the insects to a new plant.
Electron cryo-microscopy has been used to determine the structure of Chikungunya virus-like particles and to provide new insights into their interactions with four different antibodies.
Rajika L Perera, Rubben Torella ... Luca Pellegrini
The details of how the enzyme DNA polymerase α initiates the polymerization of nucleotides in DNA replication, a critical step in the synthesis of new chromosomal DNA, have been revealed in atomic detail.
Mark Hedglin, Senthil K Perumal ... Stephen Benkovic
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer has been used to explore the interactions between DNA polymerases, sliding clamps and clamp loaders as DNA is replicated in human cells.
A combination of detailed sampling and mathematical modeling suggests that the response of immune cells to reactivation of herpes simplex virus 2 is extremely rapid and effective within microscopic areas of genital skin.
Benjamin JM Taylor, Serena Nik-Zainal ... Michael S Neuberger
Enzymes that remove amine groups from cytosine bases in DNA are likely involved in generating the clusters of mutations (kataegis) seen in breast cancer.
When a protein involved in DNA repair malfunctions, it can anneal RNA molecules to DNA molecules, creating hybrids that increase the frequency of mutations in the DNA.
