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IMAGE: The background of the illustration is a photograph taken with the electron microscope showing DNA molecules decorated with MutS molecules, scanning the DNA for errors. The lower part shows. view more
Credit: CNIO
Scientists from the Genomic Integrity and Structural Biology Group led by Rafael Fernández-Leiro at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered how certain proteins ensure the repair of errors introduced into the DNA during its replication. Using cryo-electron microscopy, they made the MutS protein, also known as the guardian of our genome, visible. That enabled them to describe how this single protein is able to coordinate the essential DNA repair process from beginning to end.