Nature Chemical Biology 4, 509 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-509

Enhanced funding support and increased engagement of chemical biologists in the funding process are essential for the advancement of the field.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 511 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-511

Authors: Wilfredo Colón, Parag Chitnis, James P Collins, Janice Hicks, Tony Chan & Joanne S Tornow

Chemical biology continues to grow and blur the theoretical and empirical boundaries between chemistry and biology. Federal funding agencies, including the US National Science Foundation, will be essential to support the development of interdisciplinary research fields.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 515 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-515

Authors: Hualiang Jiang, Jiarui Wu, Lihe Zhang, Wenping Liang, Feixue Gao, Canping Du, Xuelian Feng & Yongjun Chen

Funding support for chemical biology is essential for its growth around the world. A new funding initiative from the National Natural Science Foundation of China provides a model of a targeted funding program in the area of signal transduction.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 519 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-519

Author: Victoria McGovern

An emerging generation of scientists trained at the interface of chemistry and biology is providing new tools and insights into the workings of biological systems. Private foundations represent an important funding option for scientists at this interface.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 523 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-523

Author: Amy Donner

European Research Area (ERA)-Chemistry is a network of funding agencies that supports international collaborative approaches to chemical research and facilitates the flow of ideas from scientists to funding institutions.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 524 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-524

Author: Jay Keasling

Alkaloids, which include caffeine and morphine, are a large class of pharmacologically active plant compounds that are often difficult to chemically synthesize. Incorporation of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid pathways in yeast will facilitate the production of natural and non-natural alkaloids.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 525 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-525

Author: Isaac Carrico

N-terminal modification is a mechanism for regulation of protein activity, localization and degradation. A proteomic approach using β-lactone activity-based probes has identified a cysteine protease with N-terminal transpeptidase activity.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 527 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-527

Authors: Kent Kirshenbaum & Paramjit S Arora

Chemists have established numerous methods for performing protein conjugations, but metathesis catalysts have largely remained absent from this toolkit. Evidence that proteins bearing allylsulfides undergo cross-metathesis with chosen alkenes in aqueous conditions will allow chemists to harness the power of metathesis catalysts for modifying biomolecules and other water-soluble compounds.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 528 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-528

Author: David J McConkey

Chemical inhibitors of the proteasome have received substantial attention owing to the success of bortezomib in the treatment of multiple myeloma. A recent whole-cell screen identified the proteasome inhibitor argyrin A and suggests a new role for p27Kip-1 in regulating apoptosis.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 529 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio0908-529

Author: Laurent Nussaume

The signal recognition particle (SRP), a ribonucleoprotein complex that is conserved across all organisms, is essential for cotranslational insertion of proteins into membranes. A three-dimensional structure of cpSRP43 provides insights into how plants have adapted the SRP for post-translational targeting of membrane proteins.

Nature Chemical Biology 4, 535 (2008). doi:10.1038/nchembio.107

Authors: Matthew Volgraf, Jean-Philip Lumb, Harry C Brastianos, Gavin Carr, Marco K W Chung, Martin Münzel, A Grant Mauk, Raymond J Andersen & Dirk Trauner

Biomimetic synthesis is an attempt to assemble natural products along biosynthetic lines without recourse to the full enzymatic machinery of nature. We exemplify this with a total synthesis of exiguamine A and the newly isolated natural product exiguamine B. The most noteworthy feature of this work is an oxidative endgame drawing from the complex chemistry of catecholamines, which allows for ready access to a new class of nanomolar indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase inhibitors.