https://phys.org/chemistry-news/biochemistry en-us Phys.org provides the latest news on biochemistry IBM has announced on its blog page the development of an AI/cloud-based chemistry lab named RoboRXN. Its purpose is to help chemists develop new materials in a faster and more efficient way than the current trial-and-error process. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ibm-ai-based-chemistry-lab.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:24:48 EDT news518347479 As you drift into unconsciousness before a surgery, general anesthetic drugs flowing through your blood are putting you to sleep by binding mainly to a protein in the brain called the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor. Now UT Southwestern scientists have shown exactly how anesthetics attach to the GABAA receptor and alter its three-dimensional structure, and how the brain can tell the difference between anesthetics and the psychoactive drugs known as benzodiazepines—which also bind to the GABAA receptor. The findings were published online today in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-anesthetics-benzos-receptors-brain.html Biochemistry Wed, 02 Sep 2020 11:00:07 EDT news518245944 Diagnostic devices that are used at home or in doctors' offices are often not sensitive enough to detect small amounts of a virus that might be present in samples from asymptomatic patients, which can occur in early stage COVID-19. In Biomicrofluidics,, scientists report a membrane-based invention that can concentrate the virus content of a sample of urine or saliva, allowing it to be detected. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-small-amounts-virus-early-infections.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:00:04 EDT news518162212 A team of scientists from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has developed the first drug-like compounds to inhibit a key family of enzymes whose malfunction is associated with several types of cancer, including an aggressive form of childhood leukemia. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-scientists-drug-like-compounds-inhibit-elusive.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:44:32 EDT news518107466 Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Ohio State University discovered a new microbial pathway that produces ethylene, providing a potential avenue for biomanufacturing a common component of plastics, adhesives, coolants and other everyday products. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-sulfur-scavenging-bacteria-key-common-component.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 27 Aug 2020 14:00:08 EDT news517736997 With the race for renewable energy sources in full swing, plants offer one of the most promising candidates for replacing crude oil. Lignocellulose in particular—biomass from non-edible plants like grass, leaves, and wood that don't compete with food crops—is abundant and renewable and offers a great alternative source to petroleum for a whole range of chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-microbes-biomass-conversion-possibilities.html Biochemistry Thu, 27 Aug 2020 14:00:07 EDT news517752971 A chameleonlike protein in neurons can change its mind, and in the process change our brains. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-protein-chameleon-long-term-memory.html Biochemistry Tue, 25 Aug 2020 04:03:38 EDT news517547009 A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering and the University of Michigan has redesigned and enhanced a natural enzyme that shows promise in promoting the regrowth of nerve tissue following injury. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-re-engineered-enzyme-reverse-spinal-cord.html Biochemistry Mon, 24 Aug 2020 16:26:32 EDT news517505188 QUT researchers have created a new molecular coupling tool employing both green light and pH triggers that has potential for use in applications such as drug delivery and 3-D cell culture platforms. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-forging-molecular-bonds-green.html Biochemistry Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:16:36 EDT news517479394 Researchers from Aarhus University challenge one of the cornerstones of biochemistry, the Michaelis-Menten equation. They show that many enzymes in signaling pathways are independent of substrate concentration, because the substrate is physically connected to the enzyme. With these results, it may one day be possible to develop drugs that not only target the enzyme, but also affect how it is connected to its substrate. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-fresh-michaelis-menten-equation.html Biochemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2020 11:06:07 EDT news517140364 Many viruses, including HIV and influenza A, mutate so quickly that identifying effective vaccines or treatments is like trying to hit a moving target. A better understanding of viral propagation and evolution in single cells could help. Today, scientists report a new technique that can not only identify and quantify viral RNA in living cells, but also detect minor changes in RNA sequences that might give viruses an edge or make some people "superspreaders." https://phys.org/news/2020-08-viral-outbreaks-cells-reveal-ways.html Biochemistry Thu, 20 Aug 2020 05:51:24 EDT news517121473 DNA is not only the blueprint of life, it has become the backbone for making tiny structures that can be inserted into the human body to diagnose and treat disease. In particular, researchers are setting their sights on a technique known as DNA origami, in which they meticulously assemble hundreds of strands of DNA to build a Lilliputian collection of structures that could include drug delivery containers, biosensors and other biocompatible devices. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-dna-accurate.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2020 08:28:36 EDT news517044512 Despite decades of study, exactly how herpesviruses invade our cells remains something of a mystery. Now researchers studying one herpesvirus, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) that causes chicken pox, may have found an important clue: A key protein the virus uses to initiate infection does not operate as previously thought, researchers at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory report August 18 in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-cryo-em-yields-clues-chicken-pox.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2020 04:03:27 EDT news517028600 Researchers at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) have genetically engineered a fungus to produce a cocktail of enzymes that break down the carbohydrates in biomass, such as sugarcane trash (tops and leaves) and bagasse, into fermentable sugar for industrially efficient conversion into biofuel. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-enzyme-cocktail-brazil-powers-production.html Biochemistry Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:11:13 EDT news516985867 Hydrogenases can convert hydrogen just as efficiently as expensive platinum catalysts. In order to make them usable for biotechnological applications, researchers are deciphering how they work in detail. A team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Oxford now reports in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that the transfer of protons and electrons by the enzyme takes place spatially separated, but is nevertheless coupled and thus, a decisive factor for efficiency. The article was published online on 10 August 2020. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-kind-interaction-hydrogen-producing-enzymes.html Biochemistry Materials Science Mon, 17 Aug 2020 10:08:21 EDT news516877689 Chemists at Scripps Research have efficiently created three families of complex, oxygen-containing molecules that are normally obtainable only from plants. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-bacterial-enzymes-hijacked-complex-molecules.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 13 Aug 2020 16:35:30 EDT news516555277 Researchers at the University of Delaware, using supercomputing resources and collaborating with scientists at Indiana University, have gained new understanding of the virus that causes hepatitis B and the "spiky ball" that encloses the virus's genetic blueprint. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-supercomputer-gain-insights-hepatitis.html Biochemistry Thu, 13 Aug 2020 07:28:41 EDT news516522517 Rice University chemist Han Xiao and his team have successfully expanded the genetic code of Escherichia coli bacteria to produce a synthetic building block, a "noncanonical amino acid." The result is a living indicator for oxidative stress. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-chemists-genetic-code-coli-21st.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:07:44 EDT news516467261 Better understanding of the surface chemistry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is needed to reduce transmission and accelerate vaccine design. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-surface-chemistry-sars-cov-.html Biochemistry Tue, 11 Aug 2020 09:09:29 EDT news516355764 Enzymes used by bacteria to break down mucus in the gut could provide a useful biomarker for intestinal diseases, according to new research published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-enzyme-gut-disease-biomarker.html Biochemistry Tue, 11 Aug 2020 05:00:01 EDT news516339171 Tiny factories float inside our cells and provide them with almost all the energy they need: the mitochondria. Their effectiveness decreases when we get older, but also when we face many diseases such as diabetes, cancer or Parkinson's. This is why scientists are increasingly interested in how they work. At EPFL, a team has developed a protocol to measure their activity live in living animals. Described in Nature Chemical Biology, the method relies on the molecule responsible for the firefly's bioluminescence. In the most literal sense of the word, this study sheds light on how mitochondria work. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-fireflies-function-mitochondria.html Biochemistry Mon, 10 Aug 2020 13:00:27 EDT news516283224 Discovering antiviral and anticancer drugs will soon be faster and cheaper thanks to new research from Simon Fraser University chemist Robert Britton and his international team. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-fast-tracks-drug-treatments-viral-infections.html Biochemistry Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:18:30 EDT news516035905 Chemical reactions driven by the geological conditions on the early Earth might have led to the prebiotic evolution of self-replicating molecules. Scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians Universitaet (LMU) in Munich now report on a hydrothermal mechanism that could have promoted the process. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-life-chemical-evolution-tiny-gulf.html Biochemistry Fri, 07 Aug 2020 10:32:08 EDT news516015124 Scripps Research chemists Hans Renata, Ph.D., and Alexander Adibekian, Ph.D., have discovered a way to efficiently create a synthetic version of a valuable natural compound called cepafungin I, which has shown promise as an anti-cancer agent. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-chemists-natural-anti-cancer-compound-efficient.html Biochemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2020 14:15:29 EDT news515942123 Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a synthetic peptide that can make multidrug-resistant bacteria sensitive to antibiotics again when used together with traditional antibiotics, offering hope for the prospect of a combination treatment strategy to tackle certain antibiotic-tolerant infections. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-team-peptide-drug-resistant-bacteria-sensitive.html Biochemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2020 12:06:13 EDT news515934366 Pick your poison. It can be deadly for good reasons such as protecting crops from harmful insects or fighting parasite infection as medicine—or for evil as a weapon for bioterrorism. Or, in extremely diluted amounts, it can be used to enhance beauty. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-poison-antidote.html Biochemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2020 09:22:04 EDT news515924515 Massive compressive shearing forces generated by the tidal pull of Jupiter-like planets on their rocky ice-covered moons may form a natural reactor that drives simple amino acids to polymerize into larger compounds. These extreme mechanical forces strongly enhance molecule condensation reactions, opening a new arena of possibilities for the chemical origins of life on Earth and other rocky planets. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-compressive-life-planets.html Biochemistry Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:30:02 EDT news515834626 For centuries, people around the world have used garlic as a spice, natural remedy, and pest deterrent—but they didn't know how powerful or pungent the heads of garlic were until they tasted them. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-discovery-potent-garlic-boosting-flavor.html Biochemistry Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:23:07 EDT news515834581 A University of Houston College of Medicine researcher has found how a protein inside the body reduces the adverse effects of hypertonicity, an imbalance of water and solutes inside cells. Hypertonicity causes cell shrinkage and eventual cell death. The findings could have implications for a wide range of illnesses including edema from brain tumors, autoimmune diseases and kidney damage. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-protein-adverse-impact-loss-cells.html Biochemistry Tue, 04 Aug 2020 16:41:51 EDT news515778106 Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for controlling the phase separation of an emerging class of proteins to create artificial membrane-less organelles within human cells. The advance, similar to controlling how vinegar forms droplets within oil, creates opportunities for engineering synthetic structures to modulate existing cell functions or create entirely new behaviors within cells. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-artificial-organelles-cellular-behavior.html Biochemistry Tue, 04 Aug 2020 09:20:02 EDT news515751002