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The ability to measure the binding of a compound to its intended target in live cells or tissue is a critical parameter for drug discovery. A new method using polarized light microscopy adds to the current toolbox by enabling monitoring of target engagement in vitro and in vivo at single-cell resolution.
Sensing and responding to diverse extracellular signals is a crucial aspect of cellular decision-making that is currently lacking in the synthetic biology toolkit. The development of modular receptor platforms allows for the rewiring of cellular input–output relationships.
Nitrogenase has the canonical ability to reduce N2 to NH3, but under certain conditions, either in vitro or in vivo, it has the additional capability to convert CO2 to CO and CO to light hydrocarbons.
A phosphodiesterase, CdnP, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb.) helps the pathogen evade immune detection by degrading the second messenger cyclic di-AMP that alerts the host to its presence. Genetic knockout of CdnP dampens the virulence of the pathogen, suggesting that CdnP inhibitors are potential anti–M. tb. therapeutics.
This perspective discusses recent progress in the development of pharmacological tools that initiate mitophagy and spare mitochondrial function and focuses on promising approaches to identify improved reagents.
