Back cover (IMAGE)
Caption
This illustration, which covers the entire back cover of Angewandte Chemie, shows how bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – can trigger the production of new DNA in a biofilm.
The blue bacteria are alive, while the green ones are dead but have not become zombies. The pink, ladder-like structures represent dead “zombie bacteria” producing special DNA structures called G-quadruplexes. The red circle shows a bacteriophage that can lie dormant inside a bacterium. When activated, it can cause the bacterial cell to burst, releasing enzymes that continue producing DNA outside the cell. At the bottom right, a light-blue enzyme is shown repeatedly copying an artificially created ring of DNA.
This produces long DNA strands (red) containing G-quadruplexes (pink), which can assemble into the red, flower-like structures seen in the biofilm and give it new chemical properties.
Parts of the illustration were created using BioRender.
Credit
Gabriel Antonio Minero / Angewandte Chemie
Usage Restrictions
Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
License
CC BY-NC