title: A DNA damage checkpoint in Escherichia coli.
abstract: An early attempt to find out if the DNA double helix is actively unwound before being replicated was not conclusive, but it did disclose the existence of a unique moment in the life cycle of Escherichia coli when the cell registers whether or not its DNA is intact. If not, the cell embarks on rapid breakdown of its DNA, like "apoptosis" in eukaryotic cells.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Service Unit, Harkness Building, The Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK. j.cairns@ctsu.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cairns
mesh_terms: D002453:Cell Cycle; D004249:DNA Damage; D004261:DNA Replication; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D005800:Genes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial