Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study. The study -- conducted using E. coli ...

Bacterial cell division is facilitated by a molecular machine—the divisome—that assembles at mid-cell in dividing cells. The formation of the cytokinetic Z-ring by the tubulin homologue FtsZ is ...

A team of 17 researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute has created the largest man-made DNA structure by synthesizing and assembling the 582,970 base pair genome of a bacterium, Mycoplasma ...

DNA ligase D (LigD) is a large polyfunctional protein that participates in a recently discovered pathway of nonhomologous endjoining in bacteria. LigD consists of an ATP-dependent ligase domain fused ...

Pili are short, hair-like structures on the cell surface of prokaryotic cells. They can have a role in movement, but are more often involved in adherence to surfaces, which facilitates infection, and ...

Flagella are primarily used for cell movement and are found in prokaryotes as well as some eukaryotes. The prokaryotic flagellum spins, creating forward movement by a corkscrew shaped filament. A ...