Scientists Reveal Z-Genome Biosynthetic Pathway

Zhao Suwen’s team from the iHuman Institute of ShanghaiTech University worked with Zhang Yan’s team from Tianjin University and the Zhao Huimin team from the Singapore Bureau of Science and Technology/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to solve an unsolved mystery for more than 40 years and reveal a responsible Z -A multi-enzyme system for genome biosynthesis.

In the endless battle against bacteria, the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of bacteriophages is often modified to escape host endonuclease attack.

Zhao Suwen’s team and collaborators have revealed a multi-enzyme system responsible for Z-gene assembly through technical means such as bioinformatics and biochemistry.

The study found that nearly a hundred phages distributed around the world contained the key enzymes of this pathway, and it was concluded that these phages also have Z-genomes.

At the same time, the research team further verified the biological significance of the Z-genome.

The researchers said that the cooperative team's research on the pathways, the existence and the biological significance of the Z-gene combination has made it possible to synthesize Z-DNA on a large scale to carry out various application studies, such as phage therapy, synthetic biology, and DNA storage.

It is understood that the paper was completed by researchers from multiple units.

Related paper information: org/10.