Restriction-modification (RM) systems are ubiquitous and are often considered primitive
immune systems in bacteria. Their diversity and prevalence across the prokaryotic kingdom …

In bacteria, the processing of double-strand DNA breaks is mediated by the RecBCD,
AddAB and AdnAB complexes. These multisubunit helicase–nuclease machines resect the …

As a major etiological agent of human dental caries, Streptococcus mutans resides primarily
in biofilms that form on the tooth surfaces, also known as dental plaque. In addition to caries …

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–Cas systems provide
protection against viral and plasmid infection by capturing short DNA sequences from these …

The organization of the Escherichia coli chromosome into insulated macrodomains
influences the segregation of sister chromatids and the mobility of chromosomal DNA. Here …

Prokaryotic organisms have developed multiple defense systems against phages; however,
little is known about whether and how these interact with each other. Here, we studied the …

The RecBCD complex plays key roles in phage DNA degradation, CRISPR array acquisition
(adaptation) and host DNA repair. The switch between these roles is regulated by a DNA …

Background Thermococcus gammatolerans was isolated from samples collected from
hydrothermal chimneys. It is one of the most radioresistant organisms known amongst the …

Clostridium organisms are of major importance in the development of technologies to
produce biofuels and chemicals. They are uniquely capable of utilizing virtually all biomass …

In all sexual organisms, adaptations exist that secure the safe reassortment of homologous
alleles and prevent the intrusion of potentially hazardous alien DNA. Some bacteria engage …