It has long been accepted that a gene's protein-coding information is contained in only one of its two DNA strands. But in 22 February Nature, Victor Corces and co-workers at the Department of Biology ...

How does the cell convert DNA into working proteins? The process of translation can be seen as the decoding of instructions for making proteins, involving mRNA in transcription as well as tRNA. But ...

Scientists look at the base pairs that compose the "rungs" of the DNA ladder to determine a genome's sequence. The success of E. coli bacteria depends on their ability to multiply very rapidly by ...

The origins of millions of tiny proteins in our bodies, previously assumed to be useless, have now been discovered. A study published on February 17 in the journal Molecular Cell describes how these ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Researchers analyzing 4.3 billion dipeptides say tiny protein pairs hold clues to how the genetic code formed and expanded over ...

Plasmids, small circular DNA molecules found in bacteria, may contain antibiotic-resistance genes and have the ability to replicate independently. Bacteria can transfer these plasmids to one another, ...

Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA that can be found at the ends of chromosomes, where they form a kind of protective cap. Telomeres get shorter every time a cell divides, and they are thought ...