Repetitive elements in the human genome, once considered 'junk DNA', are now known to
adopt more than a dozen alternative (that is, non-B) DNA structures, such as self-annealed …

Abstract Changes in gene copy number are among the most frequent mutational events in
all genomes and were among the mutations for which a physical basis was first known. Yet …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure and function of DNA. DNA occupies
a critical role in cells, because it is the source of all intrinsic genetic information. Chemically …

Genome rearrangements can take place by a process known as replication slippage or copy‐
choice recombination. The slippage occurs between repeated sequences in both …

Rearrangements between tandem sequence homologies of various lengths are a major
source of genomic change and can be deleterious to the organism. These rearrangements …

Alteration of mRNA sequence through base modification mRNA editing frequently generates
protein diversity. Several proteins have been identified as being similar to C-to-U mRNA …

DNA inverted repeats (IRs) are hotspots of genomic instability in both prokaryotes and
eukaryotes. This feature is commonly attributed to their ability to fold into hairpin-or cruciform …

Structured forms of DNA with intrastrand pairing are generated in several cellular processes
and are involved in biological functions. These structures may arise on single-stranded DNA …

Mutations and rearrangements that occur by misalignment during DNA replication are
frequent sources of genetic variation in bacteria. Dislocations between a replicating strand …

The ability of DNA to exist in configurations other than its classical double-stranded form has
been known for many years. There has been a spectacular recent surge of interest in these …