Every time a cell divides, it must copy its entire genome so that each daughter cell inherits a complete set of DNA. During that process, enzymes known as polymerases race along the DNA to copy its ...

Humans and baker's yeast have more in common than meets the eye, including an important mechanism that helps ensure DNA is copied correctly, reports a pair of studies. The findings visualize for the ...

Half a century ago, scientists Jim Watson and Alexey Olovnikov independently realized that there was a problem with how our DNA gets copied. A quirk of linear DNA replication dictated that telomeres ...

As DNA strands ravel and unravel in an intricate dance, one notable event takes center stage: replication. This process is essential to life, but the finer details of its orchestrated steps are still ...

Not all DNA looks like the familiar double helix. Sometimes, parts of our genetic code fold into unusual shapes under certain conditions. One such structure known as a G-quadruplex (G4) looks like a ...

A protein that is involved in determining which enzymes cut or unwind DNA during the replication process has been identified. A protein that is involved in determining which enzymes cut or unwind DNA ...

Our DNA is arranged into chromosomes that carry a kind of protective shield at their ends, called telomeres. These protective caps are crucial to the stability of chromosomes, and when telomeres ...

DNA replication is a complex process with many moving parts. In baker's yeast, the molecular complex Ctf18-RFC keeps parts of the replication machinery from falling off the DNA strand. Human cells use ...