Bacteria and their viruses have coevolved for billions of years. This ancient and still ongoing
arms race has led bacteria to develop a vast antiphage arsenal. The development of high …

Bacteria are under immense evolutionary pressure from their viral invaders—
bacteriophages. Bacteria have evolved numerous immune mechanisms, both innate and …

When searching for the ideal molecule to fill a particular functional role (for example, a
medicine), the difference between success and failure can often come down to a single …

To provide protection against viral infection and limit the uptake of mobile genetic elements,
bacteria and archaea have evolved many diverse defence systems. The discovery and …

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the identification of the biological function of
CRISPR–Cas as adaptive immune systems in bacteria. In just a decade, the characterization …

Methods for in vitro DNA cleavage and molecular cloning remain unable to precisely cleave
DNA directly adjacent to bases of interest. Restriction enzymes (REs) must bind specific …

DNA methylation acts in concert with restriction enzymes to protect the integrity of
prokaryotic genomes. Studies in a limited number of organisms suggest that methylation …

Gene editing is an important genetic engineering technique that enables gene manipulation
at the molecular level. It mainly relies on engineered nucleases of biological origin, whose …

The roles of restriction-modification (RM) systems in providing immunity against horizontal
gene transfer (HGT) and in stabilizing mobile genetic elements (MGEs) have been much …

Genomes 5 has been completely revised and updated. It is a thoroughly modern textbook
about genomes and how they are investigated. As with previous Genomes editions …