Molecular snapshots reveal how viral enzymes switch between inserting and removing DNA
University of Chicago researchers have identified how bacteriophage enzymes switch between inserting and removing viral DNA from host cells. This discovery provides a deeper understanding of molecular mechanisms that could lead to more precise genome-editing tools.
Why it matters
Advancements in gene-editing technology have profound implications for medicine, synthetic biology, and the treatment of genetic diseases.
edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources LSI-mediated DNA recombination. Credit: Molecular Cell (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2026.09.028 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.
New research by scientists at the University of Chicago shows how bacteriophages ("phages" for short) use a special class of enzymes to recognize specific DNA sequences in their host and insert large stretches of their own DNA with remarkable precision.
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