Biochemistry

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Researchers Create Yeast Consortium for Efficient Lignan Biosynthesis

Lignans are low molecular weight polyphenolic compounds with important antitumor and antiviral properties.

25 Mar 2025

Ancient Neurohormone Found to Control Appetite in Both Humans and Starfish

A team of biologists at Queen Mary University of London has discovered that a neurohormone controlling appetite in humans has an ancient evolutionary origin, dating back over half a billion years.

25 Mar 2025

Engineered Yeast Offers Sustainable Way to Produce D-Lactic Acid from Methanol

Great recipes require the perfect combination of ingredients - biotechnology recipes are no exception.

22 Mar 2025

RNA-Based Active Agents Successfully Shield Plants from Cucumber Mosaic Virus

New RNA-based active agents reliably protect plants against the Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), the most common virus in agriculture and horticulture. They were developed by researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU).

20 Mar 2025

Phytogene Offers a Greener, Cheaper Alternative for Producing Pharmaceuticals

To tackle the inequity in medication access, a societal issue especially in developing nations, a team of undergraduate student-researchers at the University of Ottawa has developed a new biomanufacturing platform called Phytogene.

18 Mar 2025

Artificial Photosynthesis Advances with Novel Dye Stacking System

The amazing process of photosynthesis allows plants to create sugar molecules and oxygen from the basic building blocks of carbon dioxide and water.

17 Mar 2025

Novel Enzyme for Synthesizing β-1,2-Galactooligosaccharides

Carbohydrate chains, also known as glycans, are intricate sugar-like molecules that are crucial for various biological functions and structures within human bodies.

7 Mar 2025

New Method Creates Stable Fatty Acid Solutions for Biological Research

FAs are important in cellular processes such as membrane structure, energy storage, and signaling. However, challenges remain in preparing stable FA solutions due to their amphipathic nature and low solubility in water.

6 Mar 2025

Light-Driven Protein Isolation Replaces Affinity Chromatography

Proteins are essential in the life sciences, playing a crucial role in fundamental research, biotechnological applications, and the development and production of pharmaceuticals.

6 Mar 2025

Synthetic Microbiome Treatment Prevents C. difficile Infection in Mice

A synthetic microbiome therapy, tested in mice, protects against severe symptoms of a gut infection that is notoriously difficult-to-treat and potentially life threatening in humans, according to a team of researchers at Penn State.

4 Mar 2025

Gut Microbes Transform Excreted Glucose into Crucial Fatty Acids

Gut microbes that were thought to feed exclusively on dietary fiber also get fed sugar from our guts, from which they produce short-chain fatty acids that are crucial to many body functions.

4 Mar 2025

Breakthrough Fluorescent Dye Sets New Standard for Long-Term Cellular Imaging

A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has successfully developed a super-photostable organic dye after two years of dedicated research-demonstrating perseverance akin to that of Marie Curie, who painstakingly extracted just 0.1 grams of radium from eight tons of ore to earn her Nobel Prize.

28 Feb 2025

Zinc-Carrying Proteins Activate Proton Pump Inhibitors in Neutral Environments

Acid reducing medicines from the group of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are best-selling drugs that prevent and alleviate stomach problems.

22 Feb 2025

New Discoveries Challenge Textbook Knowledge of Mitochondrial Respiration

In an article published in the journal Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Alicia Kowaltowski, full professor at the University of São Paulo's Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP) in Brazil, advocates the "rewriting" of textbooks on the location of the electron transport chain in mitochondria and the role of sodium in mitochondrial respiration.

20 Feb 2025

New Study Uncovers Evolutionary Link in B6 Metabolism

An investigation conducted by a group of scientists at the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has uncovered an unexpected biochemical link between the immune responses of plants and the neurological health of humans.

18 Feb 2025

New Study Unlocks Secrets of Worms' Lipid-Based Surface Chemistry

A new study has revealed the clearest-ever picture of the surface chemistry of worm species that provides groundbreaking insights into how animals interact with their environment and each other.

13 Feb 2025

New Research Sheds Light on How Cells Manage Fat Recycling

Accumulation of fat molecules is detrimental to the cell. Researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have made a breakthrough in understanding how our cells manage to stay healthy by recycling important fat molecules.

13 Feb 2025

PanK4 Protein Could Be Key to Better Control of Blood Sugar and Metabolism

Physical activity is not only important for fitness, but also for health. This is confirmed by a new study conducted under the direction of Prof. Dr. Maximilian Kleinert at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE). His team discovered that the protein PanK4 plays a crucial role in the energy metabolism of skeletal muscles.

13 Feb 2025

Triple Click Chemistry Revolutionizes Synthesis of Functionalized Triazoles

Middle molecules with a molecular weight of more than 1,000 are difficult to synthesize due to multiple steps and time-consuming nature, demanding the development of a new approach that can overcome these disadvantages.

12 Feb 2025

Synthetic Condensates Turbocharge Protein Production in Bacteria

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a novel synthetic method that enhances bacteria's ability to produce higher quantities of specific proteins, including those that would typically harm them, such as antibiotics.

12 Feb 2025