Nature Chemical Biology - Current Issue : December 2008 - Vol 4 No 12
Latest Highlights
Advance online publication
Dipeptide salvage
Brief Communication by TagoreWhile amino acid sequence can predict protease targets, in vivo validation is required to confirm substrate identity. Discovery metabolite profiling now identifies novel dipeptidyl peptidase substrates and provides evidence for a proline-containing peptide salvage pathway in the kidney.
Focus issue
Free through 2008!
Chemical biology and systems biology are beginning to intersect with increasing frequency, opening up opportunities for integrating new tools and concepts into both fields. In this issue, we highlight a number of exciting areas at the emerging interface of 'chemical systems biology'.
Advance online publication
Fluorination two step
Brief Communication by RentmeisterThough fluorine atoms are common substituents on pharmaceutical agents, methods for fluorination of unactivated carbons are limited. A two-step approach involving enzymatic hydroxylation followed by fluorine substitution offers a new route to organofluorine compounds.
Current issue
Coagulation quorum
Article by KastrupBacterial infection was thought to cause blood coagulation only indirectly via immune and inflammatory responses. A new study shows that when clustered, bacteria can directly and rapidly activate the coagulation cascade in human blood and plasma.
Current issue
Biopolymer catalysis
Article by YamanakaOligomers of ε-polylysine of varying lengths are observed in vivo, but the origin of this polydispersity was not known. The purification and characterization of a polylysine synthetase now explains the variable lengths as a consequence of non-covalent catalysis.
Current issue
A concerted connection
Brief Communication by WinklerThe conversion of (S)-reticuline to (S)-scoulerine by berberine bridge enzyme is a critical step in the biosynthesis of many alkaloids. Structural and biochemical characterization of this flavoenzyme establishes that carbon-carbon bond formation proceeds in a concerted manner.
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