Biochemistry

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A Novel Method for Synthesizing Piperidines for Modern Medicine

A team of chemists from Scripps Research and Rice University has unveiled a novel method to simplify the synthesis of piperidines, a key structural component in many pharmaceuticals. The study, published in Science, combines biocatalytic carbon-hydrogen oxidation and radical cross-coupling, offering a streamlined and cost-effective approach to create complex, three-dimensional molecules.

19 Dec 2024

Silver-Containing Showerheads Fail to Reduce Pathogens in Real-World Conditions

To guard against harmful waterborne pathogens, many consumers, including managers of health-care facilities, install antimicrobial silver-containing showerheads.

19 Dec 2024

Yeast Proteins Found to Offer Powerful Emulsifying Action

Mention emulsifiers and many people might be unaware what they are used for, but they are present in many daily products, from food to cosmetics.

18 Dec 2024

Recycling Human and Livestock Waste Reduces Fertilizer Dependency

Recycling all the human and livestock feces and urine on the planet would contribute substantially to meeting the nutrient supply for all crops worldwide, thereby reducing the need to mine fertilizers such as phosphorus and dramatically reducing the dependency on fossil fuels, according to a global analysis of nutrient recycling published in Nature Sustainability.

12 Dec 2024

"Conan the Bacterium" Yields Key Insights for Protecting Against Radiation Damage

Dubbed "Conan the Bacterium" for its extraordinary ability to tolerate the harshest of conditions, Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human -; and every other organism for that matter.

10 Dec 2024

Study Reveals How Toxoplasma Parasite Evades Drug Treatment by Altering Protein Production

A study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers sheds new light on how Toxoplasma gondii parasites make the proteins they need to enter a dormant stage that allows them to escape drug treatment.

10 Dec 2024

Novel Approach to Monitor ER-Related Protein Quality Control

Protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells found in plants, animals, and fungi involves more than just the straightforward ribosome assembly of amino acids.

9 Dec 2024

Research Sheds Light on Protein's Role in Enhancing Plant Disease Resistance

Salicylic acid is vital for protecting plants from pathogens, but its synthesis remains unclear. A recent study by Shinshu University researchers has discovered that the protein HSR201 is key to its production.

3 Dec 2024

New Frontier in Protein Quality Control and Brain Health

Beyond their use as fuel during fasting, the body's production of ketones plays a part in controlling cellular functions and aging processes.

3 Dec 2024

The Role of Trifunctional Enzymes in Antibiotic Production

Biochemists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have identified a new subclass of trifunctional enzymes in gram-positive bacteria that play an important role in the manufacture of an antibiotic lanthipeptide.

2 Dec 2024

The Role of RNA Polymerase and Ribosomes in Gene Expression

DNA within a cell contains the genetic instructions necessary for building proteins.

29 Nov 2024

Systemic Metabolic Adaptation Supports Tissue Regeneration in Axolotls and Fruit Flies

Regenerating tissues following injury is a demanding task most multicellular organisms master to different levels. In order to better understand the mechanisms common to many species behind tissue regeneration, researchers from the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden and the BIOTEC (TU Dresden), decided to examine changes in systemic metabolism during regeneration.

29 Nov 2024

New Biogel Test Detects Bacteria Through Simple Color Change

A novel new test for bacteria in fluids makes it as easy as observing a color change to confirm the presence of disease-causing pathogens, promising much easier diagnostic tests and greater food safety.

28 Nov 2024

New Method for Understanding Brain Function and Dysfunction

An international group of researchers from FutureNeuro, the Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science, and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have created a novel technique to characterize gene activity in the living human brain.

26 Nov 2024

Novel Approach to Lipid Nanoparticle Engineering

To enhance mRNA distribution, Penn engineers have created an ideal “recipe” for ionizable lipids, which are essential components of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the molecules that underlie the COVID-19 vaccines and other cutting-edge treatments.

25 Nov 2024

Study Reveals How Simple Molecules Could Have Formed Early Cell Membranes

Few questions have captivated humankind more than the origin of life on Earth. How did the first living cells come to exist? How did these early protocells develop the structural membranes necessary for cells to thrive and assemble into complex organisms?

14 Nov 2024

Supercomputer Simulations Uncover Key Proteins in Membrane Recycling

Newly discovered mechanism helps detach and recycle parts of cellular canal membranes as needed – models developed using supercomputer simulations.

14 Nov 2024

Novel Approach to Combat Protein-Related Diseases

Researchers from Mainz and Leiden universities have devised a simple model system that can be used to break down fibrils, the cause of several diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, into their constituent single units or liquid droplets.

14 Nov 2024

Bioengineered Yeast Achieves Breakthrough in Mass-Producing Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is difficult to produce on an industrial scale. A team of Kobe University bioengineers manipulated the cellular machinery in a species of yeast so that one such molecule can now be produced in a fermenter at unprecedented concentrations.

14 Nov 2024

Engineering Cyanobacteria for Enhanced Ethanol Production

Researchers are investigating the creation of biofuel from microorganisms as a result of the increased need for sustainable fuel alternatives worldwide.

13 Nov 2024