Volume 3 Issue 5, May 2007

The newly formed European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences is bridging national cultures to bring European chemists together.

Two proteins that together serve as a scaffold for iron-sulfur cluster assembly in the yeast cytosol have been identified, providing the first mechanistic insight into cytosolic cluster assembly.

Quantitative detection of H₂O₂, which is increasingly recognized as an intracellular messenger, remains a challenge for cell biologists. The development of molecular probes that fluoresce upon H₂O₂-mediated removal of a boronate-based protecting group, rather than upon nonspecific oxidation, demonstrates that this challenge is not insurmountable.

A chemical-genetic study indicates that modulation of neurotransmitter signaling affects the self-renewal capacity of neural stem cells in culture. Although the mechanisms of action are not resolved, the research points to a potential therapeutic target class for treatment of brain tumors.

Simultaneous measurement of multiple analytes in high-throughput assays requires the design of integrated sensory elements. The latest development in this field is an engineering masterpiece based on microfluidics, photolithography and polymer science.

Lysine methylation has been implicated in gene transcription and epigenetic control. Chemical modification of cysteine residues results in a highly similar structural and functional analog of methylated lysine and provides a means to study this important modification in nucleosomes.