What are genome inversions?

Like how we can flip the word “melon” into “lemon,” bacterial genomes can undergo the same process with their GCA and Ts! In DNA, these regions are known as invertons, and recombinase enzymes bind to the DNA and flip the inverton. However, these enzymes do not bind and flip the inverton itself; conversely, recombinases bind to regions known as invertons that flank the inverton. These inverted repeats are flipped in a way that is similar to flipping the word “radar” to “radar.” In other words, inverted repeats remain the same while invertons flip and change, and ultimately, this flipping of the inverton regulates gene expression, turning a melon into a lemon.