DNA, which has a double-helix structure, can have many genetic mutations and variations. Credit: NIH When cells in the human body divide, they must first make accurate copies of their DNA. The DNA ...

The DNA packed inside every human cell contains instructions for life, written in billions of letters of genetic code. Every time a cell divides, the complete code, divided among 46 chromosomes, must ...

The process begins by unzipping DNA's ladder-like structure, resulting in two strands called the leading and lagging strands. A molecular construction crew then assembles the missing halves of the ...

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent stem cells that can produce all cell types of an organism. ES cells proliferate rapidly and have been thought to experience high levels of intrinsic ...

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 ...

Researchers have analyzed the three-dimensional structure of a protein that suppresses the development of colorectal polyposis, MUTYH, at the atomic level and clarified the repair mechanism for DNA ...

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 ...

DNA is often likened to a blueprint. The particular sequence of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts in DNA provides information for building an organism. What’s not captured by this analogy is the fact that our DNA ...

When bacteria cells replicate, they do so a little differently than human cells do. They don't undergo mitosis, a splitting ...