Herbicide resistance no longer a black box for scientists

When agricultural weeds evolve resistance to herbicides, they do it in one of two ways. In target-site resistance, a tiny mutation in the plant's genetic code means the chemical no longer fits in the protein it's designed ...

Steroid binding to metabolic enzyme

The human cytochrome P450 enzymes are responsible for metabolizing a variety of substances—from lipids (fats) and steroid hormones to drugs and toxic chemicals.

Surprising enzymes found in giant ocean viruses

A new study led by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Swansea University Medical School furthers our knowledge of viruses—in the sea and on land— and their potential to cause life-threatening ...

Heat-resistant enzymes could produce more cost-effective drugs

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could change the way scientists look at one of the most essential enzymes in medicine in hopes of designing better and more cost-effective drugs in ...

Bacteria used as factories to produce cancer drugs

Researchers at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability in Denmark have developed a method of producing P450 enzymes used by plants to defend against predators and microbes in bacterial cell factories. The ...

Tweaking Mother Nature's chemistry box

Natural enzymes are very clever molecular machines. They are the catalyst for many of nature's chemical transformations. And the conditions they need to perform their task are rather precisely defined. There is a need to ...

Protein engineers create new biocatalysts

Protein engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have tapped into a hidden talent of one of nature's most versatile catalysts. The enzyme cytochrome P450 is nature's premier oxidation catalyst—a protein ...

Insecticide resistance caused by recombination of two genes

Larvae of the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) are dreaded pests all over the world. They have a very wide host range: About 200 different plant species are known as potential food for the voracious insect. The herbivore ...

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