Thursday, October 15, 2026
Science

Molecular snapshots reveal how viral enzymes switch between inserting and removing DNA

Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, have a fiendishly simple purpose in life: attach to a bacterial cell, inject their DNA and then use the host's genetic machinery to reproduce. In doing so, they may have evolved some of the most efficient gene-editing tools ever seen in nature.

Molecular snapshots reveal how viral enzymes switch between inserting and removing DNA
Image: Phys.org
Bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, have a fiendishly simple purpose in life: attach to a bacterial cell, inject their DNA and then use the host's genetic machinery to reproduce. In doing so, they may have evolved some of the most efficient gene-editing tools ever seen in nature.

Originally published at Phys.org

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