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Evolutionary biology

Mimicry all the way down

Morphological mimicry among organisms has long been recognized as an adaptive strategy, but mimicry also occurs at the molecular level. One emerging example is microbial pathogens' use of structural mimics that engage host-cell receptors.

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Figure 1: Molecular mimics.

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Correspondence to Matthew F. Barber or Nels C. Elde.

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Barber, M., Elde, N. Mimicry all the way down. Nature 501, 38–39 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/501038a

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