News From the Field

Fast driver spotted on evolutionary tracks


October 13, 2016

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A previously unrecognized strategy that living things use to rapidly diversify and evolve has now been uncovered. This strategy--the modification of proteins after their production to regulate their biological role and other characteristics--offers an avenue to expand functional diversity beyond the sequences encoded in DNA. Protein modification, such as the adding of a phosphate group, allows organisms to respond to changing environments and adapt to make use of available nutrients.Full Story

Source
University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine

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