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The strigolactones, a known class of plant metabolites, have now been shown to constitute the long-sought hormone that suppresses lateral branch formation. These hormones are synthesized from a carotenoid precursor in the roots and transported to the shoots.
Sugar binding by a variety of biomolecules is generally assumed to rely on hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions. A new study shows that arene-carbohydrate interactions are enthalpically driven through nontraditional C-H···π type hydrogen bonds.
Adaptation of muscle to endurance exercise training involves the coordinated expression of genes involved in oxidative metabolism, resulting in increased endurance. A recent study shows that small-molecule activators of two pathways thought to transduce these effects can enhance the effects of training, or even substitute for it.
N-terminal modification is a mechanism for regulation of protein activity, localization and degradation. A proteomic approach using β-lactone activity-based probes has identified a cysteine protease with N-terminal transpeptidase activity.
Chemists have established numerous methods for performing protein conjugations, but metathesis catalysts have largely remained absent from this toolkit. Evidence that proteins bearing allylsulfides undergo cross-metathesis with chosen alkenes in aqueous conditions will allow chemists to harness the power of metathesis catalysts for modifying biomolecules and other water-soluble compounds.
The signal recognition particle (SRP), a ribonucleoprotein complex that is conserved across all organisms, is essential for cotranslational insertion of proteins into membranes. A three-dimensional structure of cpSRP43 provides insights into how plants have adapted the SRP for post-translational targeting of membrane proteins.
Alkaloids, which include caffeine and morphine, are a large class of pharmacologically active plant compounds that are often difficult to chemically synthesize. Incorporation of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid pathways in yeast will facilitate the production of natural and non-natural alkaloids.
Chemical inhibitors of the proteasome have received substantial attention owing to the success of bortezomib in the treatment of multiple myeloma. A recent whole-cell screen identified the proteasome inhibitor argyrin A and suggests a new role for p27Kip-1 in regulating apoptosis.
Phosphorylation and glycosylation of the tau protein, which is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, are intimately linked. In vivo pharmacological inhibition of tau deglycosylation may be a new way to suppress abnormal tau phosphorylation, known to be involved in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.
Many of the phenotypes shown by bacteria at high population densities are only beneficial when they are associated with eukaryotic hosts. A new study confirms that some bacteria may couple quorum sensing to host-derived signals to refine such interactions.
Transporter proteins mediate the import of nutrients and the export of toxins across biological membranes. A new crystal structure of a bacterial ABC transporter reveals an unexpected mechanism for transporter inhibition by its transported substrate.
Analysis of individual RNA folding reactions reveals that, as in proteins, cooperative interactions selectively drive RNA toward its biologically active, native conformation. This new work establishes a platform for future investigations of the physical principles underlying the assembly of large RNA enzymes.
