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Carnegie Mellon research shows viral DNA infects cells by changing from solid to fluid-like state


September 29, 2014

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Many double-stranded DNA viruses infect cells by ejecting their genetic information into a host cell. But how does the rigid DNA packaged inside a virus flow into a cell? In two separate studies, Carnegie Mellon University biophysicist Alex Evilevitch has shown that in viruses that infect both bacteria and humans, a phase transition at the temperature of infection allows the DNA to change from a rigid crystalline structure into a fluid-like structure that facilitates infection.Full Story

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Carnegie Mellon University

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