https://phys.org/chemistry-news/biochemistry en-us The latest news on biochemistry A chemical process used in the browning of food to give it its distinct smell and taste is probably happening deep in the oceans, where it helped create the conditions necessary for life. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nature-kitchen-chemical-reaction-cooks.html Biochemistry Wed, 02 Aug 2023 11:00:02 EDT news610189437 Though cholesterol can threaten human health, this waxy substance is one of the most important small molecules in human physiology and plays myriad critical roles in biology and medicine. Its dynamics are critical for the maintenance and regulation of membrane fluidity, sterol interactions with lipids and proteins, and the interactions of viruses with human cells. Cholesterol is also a critical drug target. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-reveals-peculiar-movements-cholesterol-cellular.html Biochemistry Wed, 02 Aug 2023 08:48:35 EDT news610184911 Antiviral therapies are notoriously difficult to develop, as viruses can quickly mutate to become resistant to drugs. But what if a new generation of antivirals ignores the fast-mutating proteins on the surface of viruses and instead disrupts their protective layers? https://phys.org/news/2023-08-molecules-viruses-bubble-like-membranes.html Biochemistry Wed, 02 Aug 2023 08:00:01 EDT news610111872 A team led by scientists from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Biological Sciences in collaboration with the French Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) has successfully synthesized a special protein-mimic that can self-assemble into a pore structure. When incorporated into a lipid membrane, the pores permit selective transport of water across the membrane while rejecting salt (ions). https://phys.org/news/2023-08-scientists-class-artificial-channels-efficient.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:51:18 EDT news610181474 Para-cresol is an aromatic compound with a strong horse stable-like odor. It contributes to the off-flavor of some foods, but it is also detectable as a characteristic odorant in whiskey and tobacco, as well as in the urine of various mammals. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-team-human-odorant-receptor-horse.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:31:01 EDT news610111859 Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Research Science (CSRS) and the University of Toronto have discovered a new way to attack fungal infections. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-treatment-fungal-infections.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:14:03 EDT news610103641 The World Health Organization has labeled antimicrobial resistance a global threat because most clinical antibiotics are no longer effective against certain pathogenic bacteria. The Center for Antibiotic Discovery and Resistance at the University of Oklahoma (OU), led by Helen Zgurskaya, Ph.D., and Valentin Rybenkov, Ph.D., is working on finding alternative therapeutic solutions. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-method-antimicrobial-resistance.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:23:56 EDT news610035833 A novel method to extract lignin could help spin wheat straw into gold. Lignin produced using the new method was color-neutral, odorless and homogenous, an advance that could make this carbon-neutral material a more viable candidate for development of high-value products. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-lignin-method-renewable-material-profitable.html Biochemistry Polymers Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:00:01 EDT news610015120 Using energy from light to activate natural enzymes can help scientists create new-to-nature enzymatic reactions that support eco-friendly biomanufacturing—the production of fuels, plastics, and valuable chemicals from plants or other biological systems. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-exploring-eco-friendly-enzyme-key-chemical.html Biochemistry Materials Science Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:39:03 EDT news610022341 DNA sequencing technology, i.e., determining the order of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule, is central to personalized medicine and disease diagnostics, yet even the fastest technologies require hours, or days, to read a complete sequence. Now, a multi-institutional research team led by The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN) at Osaka University, has developed a technique that could lead to a new paradigm for genomic analysis. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-quantum-circuit-nucleotides.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Mon, 31 Jul 2023 09:57:03 EDT news610016222 In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers appear to have discovered a way to produce a true structure of the rare but naturally-occurring anti-HIV compound Lancilactone C from start to finish. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-advances-anti-hiv-compound-lancilactone.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:03:52 EDT news609764630 When considering ways to sustainably generate environmentally friendly products, bacteria might not immediately spring to mind. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-imaging-solar-powered-microbes-carbon-dioxide.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:33:06 EDT news609683582 Chemotherapy and radiotherapy aim to destroy cancer cells by inducing DNA double-strand breaks—damage that, once inflicted, usually causes the cells to die. But damage to a cell's genetic material also activates a signaling pathway called IKK/NF-κB that helps prevent cell death, thus limiting the success of these treatments in patients. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-compounds-cancer-cells-route.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:33:00 EDT news609683577 Investigators led by Shana Kelley, Ph.D., the Neena B. Schwartz Professor of Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, and of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, have developed a novel approach for identifying sequences of artificial DNA with differing levels of binding to other small molecules. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-dna-identification-approach-chronic-diseases.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 27 Jul 2023 11:34:03 EDT news609676441 A team of plant and molecular biologists from the University of Kelaniya and the University of Peradeniya, both in Sri Lanka, reports that many types of fungi that break down hardwood trees can also break down polyethylene, a common kind of plastic. In their study, reported in PLOS ONE, the group tested 21 species of hardwood-decaying fungi in their lab. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-fungi-hardwood-trees-plastic.html Biochemistry Polymers Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:27:57 EDT news609672470 Scientists have developed a novel method for storing biological materials such as RNA and proteins in a solid-state. The storage in solid-state resembles the form of a pill or a tablet, which dissolves in water for on-demand use. The innovation provides a new way to overcome current limitations in the storage and handling of products derived from living cells used for a variety of health care and scientific research purposes. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-breakthrough-solid-state-storage-biological-materials.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 26 Jul 2023 18:15:07 EDT news609614090 Single-molecule DNA detection using nanopore technology offers real-time analysis of DNA and RNA strands. It is a low-cost and flexible technique that can be used in clinical and research settings when samples need to be analyzed quickly and efficiently. However, this is new technology that still has some drawbacks, such as sample contamination. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-contamination-single-molecule-dna-nanopore-technology.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:05:58 EDT news609609955 Consider this—there is no cheap, at-home device that can tell you milk has gone bad faster than your nose. One whiff and you know that the milk has gone rancid. Humans have created technologies that allow us to see distant stars and single atoms but when it comes to smell, the nose still tends to know best. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ai-enabled-portable-e-nose-molecules.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:47:00 EDT news609508010 West Virginia University researchers are now able to view synthetic DNA at the atomic level, giving them the ability to understand how to change its structure in hopes of enhancing its scissor-like function. Learning more about these synthetic DNA reactions could be the key to unlocking new technology for medical diagnoses and treatments. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-capture-atomic-view-synthetic-dna.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:17:04 EDT news609427022 A potent anti-cancer therapy has been created using Nobel prize-winning "click chemistry," where molecules click together like LEGO bricks, in a new study by UCL and Stanford University researchers. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-potent-anti-cancer-therapy-click-chemistry.html Biochemistry Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:55:49 EDT news609422143 A nutrient-rich product discovered in honeybee hives across Australia could generate a new homegrown health industry. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-antioxidant-bee-australian-industry.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Fri, 21 Jul 2023 10:20:52 EDT news609153646 One of the central challenges for synthetic chemists is to impose control over free radicals. Highly reactive molecules with an unpaired electron, free radicals, may be familiar to you; these are the type of molecules we take antioxidant supplements for, in an effort to tame oxidative stress. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-toolbox-biocatalysts-free-radicals.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Fri, 21 Jul 2023 09:46:03 EDT news609151561 Flexible spheres of the biomolecule chitosan, made from shrimp waste, can be used for catalysts that generate hydrogen gas from borohydride salts. In a paper in Green Chemistry, a research team at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) shows how the spheres can "breathe out" hydrogen bubbles without breaking. This is an important step towards practical and safe hydrogen storage and release units. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-chemists-recycle-shrimp-catalyst-hydrogen.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:32:12 EDT news609075129 Stilbenes are natural compounds found in various plants that have shown potential health benefits for humans, with a unique chemical structure consisting of two aromatic rings linked by a double bond. While resveratrol, found in grapes and red wine, is the most well-known stilbene, there has been increasing interest in other types of stilbenes that could offer additional health benefits. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-enzyme-potential-health-promoting-compounds-sorghum.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:15:03 EDT news609070501 How active compounds affect RNA and thus the expression of genes is of great interest for the development of potential therapeutics. Innsbruck chemists have now used a method they recently developed to study the binding of the aminoglycoside Neomycin B to a so-called mRNA riboswitch. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-method-rna-drug-interactions.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:13:15 EDT news609063193 As life expectancy increases worldwide, age-associated diseases such as osteoporosis are having an increasing impact. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-team-biosensor-quick-inexpensive-osteoporosis.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Jul 2023 13:29:03 EDT news608992141 Almost everyone has a bag of veggies shoved into the dark recesses of their freezer that's now essentially an unrecognizable block of ice crystals. And when thawed, foods damaged by excessive ice lose their texture and become mushy. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-broken-down-soy-proteins-excessive-ice.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Jul 2023 11:11:03 EDT news608983862 The discovery of antibiotics in 1928 was a major turning point in the history of medicine. For the first time since the dawn of human civilization, doctors had gained access to an extremely powerful and effective tool to fight against a wide variety of bacterial infections. Today, bacterial diseases that were previously a death sentence can be cured, and infections following surgery or chemotherapy can be prevented or treated more effectively. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-artificial-synthesis-tanzawaic-acid-antibiotics.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Jul 2023 11:07:03 EDT news608983621 In the late 1950s and 1960s, more than 12,000 malformed babies with short arms and legs were born as a side effect of thalidomide, a drug sold to pregnant women to prevent morning sickness. The tragedy was caused by the drug's side effect, which exists in a racemic mixture of two mirror-image forms. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nmr-method-drug-elucidation.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:29:08 EDT news608981342 Research is using ticks to help unlock better ways to fight inflammation, which causes considerable suffering in people globally. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-natural-defenses-anti-inflammatory-drugs.html Biochemistry Tue, 18 Jul 2023 17:07:03 EDT news608918817