Unlocking the key to immunological memory in bacteria

Bacteria and archaea "remember " viral infections by inserting short spacer sequences (toe-tagged) of genetic information stolen from the invader between repeat elements (gray) of the host's genomic CRISPR loci. A powerful genome editing tool may soon become even more powerful. Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have unlocked the key to how bacteria are able to "steal" genetic information from viruses and other foreign invaders for use in their own immunological memory system.

Read the whole article on Biology News Net

More from Biology News Net