JOURNAL ARTICLE

Bacteria use 'crazy molecular mechanism' to fight viruses.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2024. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Leslie, Mitch 3 of 3

Abstract

Two studies published in Science reveal that some bacteria have a unique defense mechanism against viruses. These bacteria create a new gene, called neo, which produces a protein that hinders viral invaders. The mechanism involves the use of reverse transcriptases, enzymes that can produce DNA versions of RNA molecules. The discovery challenges the notion that genetic information only flows in one direction and suggests that similar cryptic genes may exist in other organisms, including humans. The findings have potential applications in genome engineering and may lead to further exploration of this defense mechanism in other organisms. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2024/08, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Biology
  • Publication Date:2024
  • Accession Number:179361373
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.