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The use of bacterial biofilms provides a bioplastic that is biodegradable, water processable, and coatable, opening new avenues for plastic alternatives.
N-Ras lipidation cycling is known to regulate its trafficking and function. A new S-depalmitoylation inhibitor induces N-Ras membrane mislocalization, providing insights into N-Ras function and laying the foundation for a new cancer therapeutic strategy.
Genome mining of Streptococcus mutans clinical samples led to the identification of a structurally unique polyketide/non-ribosomal peptide, mutanofactin-697, that promotes biofilm formation. This study highlights the unexplored functional potential of secondary metabolites and opens new avenues for inhibiting pathogenic processes.
An approach based on enrichment of 5′ hydroxylated RNAs reveals a new self-cleaving ribozyme that maps to a very long non-protein-coding RNA in simians. The ribozyme is active only among hominin sequences, suggesting a recent acquisition of the activity.
YAP is a major downstream effector of the Hippo intracellular signaling pathway, with key roles in organ development, regeneration, and cancer biology. A small molecule that targets Annexin (ANX) acts through YAP to promote rapid epidermal tissue expansion.
Acyl protein thioesterases are critical regulators of S-acylation, removing acyl chains from dynamically S-acylated proteins. A cytosolic deacylase, APT2, is S-acylated by zDHHC3 and zDHHC7 and is predicted to deform the lipid bilayer to extract acyl chains, capturing them within a hydrophobic pocket.
Characterization of cell death kinetics identifies new on- and off-target small-molecule modulators of ferroptosis and reveals a role of amino acid metabolism in regulating ferroptosis sensitivity.
A genetically encoded real-time redox reporter reveals that H2O2-signaling peroxiredoxin (PRX) proteins couple yeast metabolic oscillations with the cell division cycle. This new PRX function suggests fresh avenues for exploring circadian regulation of cell division and cancer.
High-throughput biochemical and biological analyses of disease-associated histone mutations reveal key residues in globular cores that affect chromatin remodeling, nucleosome stability, and stem cell pluripotency.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, hydrogen-peroxide-induced phase separation in the intrinsically disordered regions of the TERMINATING FLOWER transcription factor proteins was shown to regulate the shoot apical meristem through repression of the floral identity gene called ANANTHA.
Using extensive knowledge about the structures and mechanisms of genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors, this Perspective provides guidelines to aid and accelerate the development of an increasingly broad range of high-performance imaging tools.
The cumbersome encoding of digital data to cellular DNA hinders the use of cells as living hard drives. A new approach transfers digital information directly into cellular DNA by converting electrical signals into stable and interpretable changes in the genomes of bacterial populations.
This Perspective summarizes the known types of ligand-controlled ribozymes and riboswitches and discusses the reasons why allosteric ribozymes formed by fusion of RNA enzymes and RNA aptamers are rare in today’s biological systems.
Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a transcription factor involved in gene regulation. A recent study has revealed G-quadruplex structures as novel binding targets of YY1, and their interactions regulate DNA looping and gene expression.
The plant cuticle has long been considered a barrier to volatile organic compound emission. New research reveals the paradoxical role of the cuticle as a barrier and facilitator of volatile emissions in hybrid petunia.
Re-channeling metabolic routes in Nicotiana benthamiana allows elucidation and reconstitution of the biosynthesis of the natural products momilactones A and B. Insights into how plants make these and other natural crop protection chemicals promise future biotechnologies for sustainable agriculture.
A chemical screen identifies BET bromodomain inhibitors as inducers of an activated skin keratinocyte state that promotes the wound-healing capabilities of these cells. The study implicates epigenetic modifiers as potential targets for non-healing, chronic wounds.
Directed evolution on the yeast cell surface enables the discovery of sortase variants with altered specificity capable of modifying Aβ peptides under physiologically relevant conditions.
This Perspective summarizes the recent advances in the structural diversity of amyloid fibrils and discusses the roles of post-translational modifications and chemical cofactors in the conformational determination of fibril polymorphs.
This Perspective introduces chemical biologists to potentially useful nanotechnologies, aims to inspire nanotechnologists to address questions relevant to chemical biology, and identifies possible opportunities for the two fields to collaborate.
