Biologists Discover Motor Protein That Rewinds DNA

piggy submitted, created time 2 months 6 days (www.sciencedaily.com)

ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2008) — Two biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered the first of a new class of cellular motor proteins that “rewind” sections of the double-stranded DNA molecule that become unwound, like the tangled ribbons from a cassette tape, in “bubbles” that prevent critical genes from being expressed.

“When your DNA gets stuck in the unwound position, your cells are in big trouble, and in humans, that ultimately leads to death” said Jim Kadonaga, a professor of biology at UCSD who headed the study

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: molecular biology Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia genes gene expression DNA structure DNA unwound DNA DNA Repair Protein cellular motor proteins