https://phys.org/chemistry-news/biochemistry/ en-us The latest news on biochemistry Enzymes are often described as molecular machines that recognize and process specific molecules. However, they are not rigid structures. Their shapes can change, affecting how molecules enter, interact with and remain within their active sites. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-simulations-reveal-enzyme-recognition.html Biochemistry Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news709915381 A Baylor College of Medicine-led team has developed a strategy that combines the analysis of thousands of proteins with artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of small molecules called molecular glues to treat disease. Their approach, published in Nature Communications, has uncovered a new class of molecular glues that could neutralize harmful proteins linked to blood cancers and autoimmune diseases. The work also shows how AI-based structural modeling can help chemists optimize compounds well before experiments reveal how they work. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-discovery-molecular-disease.html Biochemistry Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:30:01 EDT news709916821 Chemists routinely optimize reactions to maximize the yield of their desired products, but understanding why those reactions work can require laborious experiments that track reactions over time. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a method to extract hidden information about reaction speeds from yield data obtained during reaction optimization, using machine learning and rate equations developed by chemists. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chemists-harness-ai-uncover-fast.html Biochemistry Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:00:18 EDT news709812061 Peanut allergy is one of the most serious food allergies and can lead to sudden, life-threatening reactions. Researchers from Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, in collaboration with Wroclaw Medical University, investigated whether a natural enzyme obtained from figleaf gourd (Cucurbita ficifolia) could reduce recognition of peanut proteins by antibodies involved in allergic reactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pumpkin-derived-enzyme-weakens-peanut.html Biochemistry Sat, 26 Sep 2026 15:00:01 EDT news709467082 Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E protect cells by neutralizing free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species, before they can damage genetic material or cell membranes. Such damage can contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Antioxidants therefore help prevent cellular damage. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-blood-pressure-enzyme-reveals-job.html Biochemistry Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:40:01 EDT news709555082 Amide bonds are chemical linkages essential to biology, medicine and materials chemistry. Peptide bonds, a class of amide bonds, link amino acids to form proteins. Amide bonds are also important in medicines and polymers. Efficient synthesis of amide bonds remains a major focus in green chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-century-solvent-enable-efficient-amide.html Biochemistry Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:00:01 EDT news709554301 Remodeling may bring to mind construction crews and scaffolding, but the process is far from unique to buildings. Even molecules can be remodeled. Pandorachelins, newly discovered molecules produced by Pandoraea bacteria, are one example. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-bacteria-remodel-peptide-role.html Biochemistry Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:20:08 EDT news709548961 When landfills and wastewater treatment plants create methane as a byproduct, much of it is simply burned and its value is lost. But the gas is an energy-rich resource that could be recycled as a fuel, chemical feedstock or bioproduct. Capturing and converting waste methane offers an opportunity to recover energy and create useful products from an otherwise wasted gas stream. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-3d-scaffolds-methane-chemical-power.html Biochemistry Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:00:01 EDT news709468381 Mistletoe is best known from winter traditions as a symbol of luck and affection. For trees, however, the hemiparasitic plant can be a burden: It draws water and nutrients from its hosts. Now the plant could provide a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based industrial adhesives. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mistletoe-berry-bonds-nonstick-teflon.html Biochemistry Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:40:04 EDT news709462296 Tuberculosis, or TB, is a contagious bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs. While curative treatments exist, more than 80% of cases occur in low- and middle-income nations, where drug-resistant strains are on the rise and the cost of medications is a burden. A new class of antibiotics has shown promise against multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant TB, but its manufacturing cost is a barrier to access in poorer countries that need the treatments most. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-evolved-enzymes-tuberculosis-antibiotic-ingredient.html Biochemistry Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news709394222 A new study has found a sustainable and scalable way to improve the durability of plant-based packaging; it's a discovery that researchers say could help curb the environmental footprint of plastic. Researchers used advanced plasma technology to apply layered, protective coatings to the surface of cellulosic nanofibril (CNF) films, with the goal of reducing water absorption and improving moisture resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-plasma-technology-based-packaging-plastic.html Biochemistry Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:40:07 EDT news709216360 A new approach that changes just one atom in plastic-degrading enzymes could help make them more efficient while maintaining their stability, according to new research from The Australian National University published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-atomic-tweak-plastic-enzymes.html Biochemistry Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:40:10 EDT news708940632 A square peg doesn't fit a round hole. But what if the peg could change the shape of the hole? A newly developed drug molecule can do something surprisingly similar when binding to its target protein, according to a University at Buffalo-led study published Tuesday (Sept. 15) in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-site-drug-molecule-square-peg.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:20:01 EDT news708787562 The development of cooking was a major milestone in the evolution of human civilization because it made food easier to digest and more energy-efficient. Heating food can also kill harmful pathogens and make certain foods taste better. Overcooking, on the other hand, can have adverse effects, particularly on proteins. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-shouldnt-overcook-proteins.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:10:04 EDT news708788641 The biopolymer lignin—one of the most important carbon reservoirs in plants and soils—not only decays through fungi or bacteria but can also be chemically attacked by iron linked to reactive oxygen species, without the involvement of microorganisms. When this happens, lignin is converted into methanol and subsequently into formaldehyde. That is shown by a study conducted at Heidelberg University's Institute of Earth Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacteria-chemicals-methanol-formaldehyde-abiotically.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:30:01 EDT news708788041 KAIST researchers have demonstrated the potential of using microorganisms to produce a bio-based alternative to petroleum-derived materials for hot-melt adhesives (HMAs). These heat-activated glues are widely used in packaging, furniture, electronics and automobiles. Using Escherichia coli, the team produced a new polymer from glucose and demonstrated adhesive performance and thermal properties that support its potential use as an HMA. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbes-adhesive-materials-glucose-petroleum.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:40:07 EDT news708766801 Ice is cheap, abundant and surprisingly strong. But it has one major weakness: Cracks can race through it, causing it to shatter without warning. Now, scientists have developed a new material that could overcome that problem. Called BioPykrete, the reinforced ice is about 10 times stronger than ordinary ice and can absorb roughly 70 times more energy before breaking. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-super-ice-ten-stronger.html Biochemistry Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:40:09 EDT news708689043 Metabotropic glutamate receptors, which are important but difficult drug targets, interact in surprisingly varied ways with their principal regulatory proteins, according to two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings represent a major step forward in understanding these receptors and how they can be targeted effectively to potentially treat conditions such as epilepsy, depression and anxiety disorders. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-receptor-interactions-failures-brain.html Biochemistry Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:20:01 EDT news708617761 RhoBAST is a tiny RNA molecule that activates fluorescent dyes, enabling researchers to track RNA molecules in living cells with super-resolution. An international collaboration, which includes Ronald Micura and his team from the Institute of Organic Chemistry, has now shown that a small, local "nucleotide flip" within the RNA controls this fluorescence activation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rna-nucleotide-fluorescent-dyes.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 20:00:04 EDT news708352516 Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have taken a new approach in the search for enzymes capable of breaking down some of the most difficult types of plastic to recycle. They collected millions of bacteria from a landfill in Kenya, Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo, the guts of larvae and a compost heap near Aarhus—and examined their enzymes. They found 12 that work. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-compost-microbe-yields-enzyme-tackles.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news708348662 For more than a century, pharmaceutical companies have relied on flat structures called aromatic rings, which can help drugs bind to target sites in the body. They include benzene rings and other flat, nitrogen-containing rings. But there are limits to their usefulness. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-blue-chemistry-3d-drug-blocks.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:40:01 EDT news708267421 Life in the deep sea is under immense pressure—literally. Such extreme conditions can disrupt the delicate structures of proteins essential to life. Yet somehow, the proteins in deep-sea creatures remain functional. This raises an intriguing question: how? https://phys.org/news/2026-09-pressure-deep-sea-protein-extreme.html Biochemistry Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:40:01 EDT news708264001 Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology's (SMART) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) interdisciplinary research group, alongside collaborators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), and institutions in the United States, Poland and France, have discovered aminovaleramididine synthetase (AvaS), the first identified pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme responsible for producing a chemical modification linked to how bacteria respond to metabolic stress. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-plp-enzyme-bacterial-protein-production.html Biochemistry Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:20:04 EDT news708258422 From targeted cancer treatments to self-healing materials and microscopic robots, many emerging technologies depend on molecules that can be controlled with light. Researchers at Tohoku University have now developed a way to make these light-responsive molecules much more sensitive to visible light by using a molecular antenna. The breakthrough gives scientists better control over molecular photoswitches remotely and potentially expands their use in medicine and advanced materials. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-antennae-sensitive.html Biochemistry Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news708183301 Cyclopropanes are organic chemistry's smallest rings. Three carbon atoms are joined in a triangle, creating a compact and unusually strained structure. Despite—or partly because of—this unusual geometry, cyclopropanes are found in many biologically active natural products and have important applications in medicines and drug discovery, from antidepressants to antibiotics and antiviral research. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-molecular-ways-medicines.html Biochemistry Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:20:04 EDT news708104401 University of Missouri researchers have discovered a new way to harness one of the body's natural defenses: copper. While copper is essential for life and helps power important biological processes, having too much of it can be toxic. To keep copper levels in balance, cells rely on specialized proteins that regulate where it goes and how much is present. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-harness-copper-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria.html Biochemistry Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:20:12 EDT news708081541 Packaged food usually sits in plastic-lined bags designed to keep air, moisture and contaminants out. That same protection can also increase the chances of chemicals from the packaging seeping into the food. When a chemical raises health concerns, industries often swap it for a molecular cousin, a substitution that may either be genuinely safer or simply be too understudied to know whether it is harmful. With thousands of chemicals in use, one-by-one regulation can't keep pace, so untested replacements can slide through unchecked. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-screening-flags-food-packaging-chemicals.html Biochemistry Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:00:09 EDT news707998019 University of California, Davis, researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-lsd-reveals-features-linked-hallucinogenic.html Biochemistry Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:10 EDT news707742302 The human body and its gut microbiome produce thousands of small molecules that shape how the body functions—influencing immunity, metabolism and more. Identifying what those molecules actually are has been one of the biomedical sciences' most persistent bottlenecks. More than 80% of compounds detected in a typical biological sample cannot be matched to any known structure using current methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-tool-hidden-universe-small.html Biochemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2026 17:00:01 EDT news707746802 Researchers have been elucidating the structures of complex molecules for more than 100 years using a variety of techniques. Some molecular structures, however, are more difficult to solve than others. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ultrafast-sample-protein-dizzying-proportions.html Biochemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news707736781