Bacteria Build DNA Without a Template, Using the Enzyme as Blueprint

Stanford researchers studying the bacterial DRT3 defense system found that the Drt3b polymerase can synthesize DNA without a separate template, with the protein's own shape acting as the blueprint. The three-part complex—Drt3a, Drt3b, and a non-coding RNA—enables self-contained DNA construction, a previously unseen mechanism with implications for biology, evolution, and future biotech; understanding its role in antiviral defense and potential engineering remains to be explored, and the work was published in Science.