Molecular biologists have long believed that the beginning of a gene launched the process of transcription—the process by which a segment of DNA is copied into RNA and then RNA helps make the proteins ...

When the molecular machinery in our cells gets to work transcribing the genetic information encoded in DNA into messenger RNA (mRNA), it pauses shortly after starting. Known as promoter-proximal ...

Initiation of DNA synthesis: a general model from studies with prokaryotes -- Escherichia coli oriC -- Lambda phage origin: a familiar refrain -- Regulatory transcription factors and the initiation of ...

Every living cell must interpret its genetic code - a sequence of chemical letters that governs countless cellular functions. A new study by researchers from the Center for Theoretical Biological ...

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein that acts like a traffic controller for DNA, preventing damage during cell ...

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. In 1957, just four years after Francis Crick and other scientists solved the riddle of ...

Research into transcription factors deepen understanding of the 'language' of the genome, offering insights into human development. New research has uncovered more about the complexity of human gene ...

Dr. Graham Erwin, assistant professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, has been awarded the National Institutes of ...

Scientists have found that twisting structures in DNA long mistaken for knots are actually something else entirely. Inside cells, DNA gets twisted, copied, and pulled apart. The twists can influence ...

Engineers have created DIAL, a modular system that precisely sets and edits protein levels in synthetic gene circuits. By ...