An important DNA modification is methylation, or the addition of a methyl group to the 5th carbon of cytosine. This forms 5-methylcytosine (5mC), typically associated with repression of gene ...

Enzymes that cut DNA at specific sites are called endonucleases; these enzymes play many roles in genomic replication, fidelity, and defense. The initial discovery of restriction endonucleases in the ...

CRISPR—Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats—is the microbial world’s answer to adaptive immunity. Bacteria don’t generate antibodies when they are invaded by a pathogen and then ...

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 remains unresolved. In a non-peer-reviewed preprint published on bioRxiv on Oct. 20, 2022 three authors present analyses that, according to their interpretation, suggest a ...

DNA is often seen as the blueprint of life—carrying the code to govern the development and traits of an organism—but “there are things beyond the DNA sequence,” says Xiaoqi Feng, a plant geneticist at ...

Epigenetics is the study of how our cells alter their function by modifying gene expression in our genetic code or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In our cells, DNA is constantly being used to generate ...

To many working biologists, DNA-modifying enzymes are tools, not unlike a pair of molecule-sized scissors. To Dr. Barry Stoddard, a professor in the Basic Sciences division at Fred Hutch, these ...

A new family of enzymes enables precise cuts in single-stranded DNA, offering powerful new tools for genetic engineering and expanding possibilities in biotechnology. (Nanowerk News) A few years ago, ...

Today (September 19), the Lasker Foundation announced this year’s winners of the Lasker Awards. Zhijian “James” Chen, a biochemist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, was awarded ...