When a virus infects a bacterial cell, the viral genome is the first component to be fully injected into the cell, making it an ideal immune target. A bacterial enzyme anchored to the membrane ...

An analysis of the bones and teeth of ancient mammoths (Mammuthus) has identified some of the microorganisms that lived in the animals’ mouths and bodies more than one million years ago. The study, ...

DNA methylation in bacteria, primarily involving the addition of methyl groups to adenine or cytosine residues, constitutes a pivotal epigenetic mechanism that modulates gene expression without ...

Bacteria are constantly moving with the help of motility organs called flagella or pili to colonize new niches. Also, bacteria can exchange information, like "speaking to each other," and thus acquire ...

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) may have an 'on-off switch' that lets them pause and restart growth, according to a new study. The research helps explain why TB is so hard to treat with ...

Ribonucleotide reductases (RNR) are indispensable enzymes that convert ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs), the precursors to make up DNA. Because DNA synthesis is fundamental to cell ...

Bacteria have long been a key source of lifesaving antibiotics, but most species cannot be grown in the lab—leaving their therapeutic potential untapped even as multidrug resistance becomes an ...