In This Issue - pv

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-v

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High yield of natural products - p299

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-299

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Chemical biology at the crossroads of molecular structure and mechanism - pp300 - 303

Jennifer A Doudna

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-300

Chemical insight into biological function is the holy grail of structural biology. Small molecules are central players as building blocks, effectors and probes of macromolecular structure and function.

Full Text - Chemical biology at the crossroads of molecular structure and mechanism | PDF (422 KB) - Chemical biology at the crossroads of molecular structure and mechanism

Programming cellular function - pp304 - 307

Christopher A Voigt & Jay D Keasling

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-304

The process of cellular engineering is rapidly accelerating owing to advances in technologies to manipulate DNA and other biomolecules, giving rise to the field of synthetic biology. A meeting was held in August 2005 to present progress in the field and to discuss topics in ethics, safety and security.

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The emerging biology of the nitrite anion - pp308 - 314

Mark T Gladwin, Alan N Schechter, Daniel B Kim-Shapiro, Rakesh P Patel, Neil Hogg, Sruti Shiva, Richard O Cannon, III, Malte Kelm, David A Wink, Michael Graham Espey, Edward H Oldfield, Ryszard M Pluta, Bruce A Freeman, Jack R Lancaster, Jr, Martin Feelisch & Jon O Lundberg

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-308

Nitrite has now been proposed to play an important physiological role in signaling, blood flow regulation and hypoxic nitric oxide homeostasis. A recent two-day symposium at the US National Institutes of Health highlighted recent advances in the understanding of nitrite biochemistry, physiology and therapeutics.

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Chemical cues for sea lamprey migration - pp316 - 317

Andrew Dittman

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-316

During the past century, the sea lamprey colonized the Great Lakes of North America and decimated the commercial fishing industry. The isolation and characterization of a migratory pheromone from the sea lamprey expands options for control of this invading species.

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See also: Letter by Sorensen et al.

New light on an open-and-shut case - pp317 - 319

Dean R Madden

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-317

In the brain, neurotransmitter-receptor binding represents the moment of stereochemical recognition in which one neuron senses the signal sent by another. Submillisecond time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy now provides a first glimpse of the generative protein-ligand interactions that lead to glutamate receptor ion channel activation.

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See also: Letter by Cheng et al.

Molecular motors: rocking and rolling - pp319 - 320

Linda A Amos

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-319

Kinesins are the molecular motors responsible for movement of vesicles inside cells. Evidence is now presented for how kinesin moves forward, as well as side to side.

Full Text - Molecular motors: rocking and rolling | PDF (113 KB) - Molecular motors: rocking and rolling

See also: Letter by Yajima & Cross | Article by Taniguchi et al.

Interrupters on the bacterial party line - pp321 - 322

Richard P Novick

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-321

Cross-species quorum sensing in bacteria is mediated by a small molecule autoinducer, AI-2. It has now been demonstrated that AI-2–mediated signaling can be sabotaged by bacteria that degrade AI-2.

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Research Highlights - p323

doi:10.1038/nchembio1105-323

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