Multi-copy single-stranded DNA in Escherichia coli Xie, Xianxing and Yang, Ruifu,, 163, 1735-1739 (2017), doi = https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000563, publicationName = Microbiology Society, issn = 1350-0872, abstract= Multi-copy single-stranded DNA (msDNA) is composed of covalently bound single-stranded DNA and RNA, and synthesized by retron-encoded reverse transcriptase. msDNA-synthesizing systems are thought to be a recent acquisition by Escherichia coli because, to date, only seven types of msDNA, which differ markedly in their primary nucleotide sequences, have been found in a small subset of E. coli strains. The wide use of E. coli in molecular research means that it is important to understand more about these stable, covalently bound, single-stranded DNA or RNA compounds. The present review provides insights into the molecular biosynthesis, distribution and function of E. coli msDNA to raise awareness about these special molecules., language=, type=