In this issue - pv

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-v

Full Text - In this issue | PDF (1,502 KB) - In this issue

The academic pursuit of screening - p433

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-433

High-throughput screening has become increasingly important in academic research over the last decade. The diversity of chemical and biological space being probed by academic chemical screening, coupled with the public reporting of results, has created an important new resource of data for chemical biologists.

Full Text - The academic pursuit of screening | PDF (1,417 KB) - The academic pursuit of screening

Neural stem cells, acetylcholine and Alzheimer's disease - p435

Nigel J Fullwood

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-435

Full Text - Neural stem cells, acetylcholine and Alzheimer's disease | PDF (1,355 KB) - Neural stem cells, acetylcholine and Alzheimer's disease

Stanley Miller 1930–2007 - p437

Michael P Robertson

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-437

Full Text - Stanley Miller 1930–2007 | PDF (1,378 KB) - Stanley Miller 1930–2007

Reporting data from high-throughput screening of small-molecule libraries - pp438 - 441

James Inglese, Caroline E Shamu & R Kiplin Guy

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-438

Publications reporting results of small-molecule screens are becoming more common as academic researchers increasingly make use of high-throughput screening (HTS) facilities. However, no standards have been formally established for reporting small-molecule screening data, and often key information important for the evaluation and interpretation of results is omitted in published HTS protocols. Here, we propose concise guidelines for reporting small-molecule HTS data.

Full Text - Reporting data from high-throughput screening of small-molecule libraries | PDF (1,531 KB) - Reporting data from high-throughput screening of small-molecule libraries

Scaffold composition and biological relevance of screening libraries - pp442 - 446

Anang A Shelat & R Kiplin Guy

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-442

The chemical scaffolds from which screening libraries are built have strong influence on the libraries' utility for screening campaigns. Here we present analysis of the scaffold composition of several types of commercially available screening collections and compare those compositions to those of drugs and drug candidates.

Full Text - Scaffold composition and biological relevance of screening libraries | PDF (5,744 KB) - Scaffold composition and biological relevance of screening libraries

Systems chemical biology - pp447 - 450

Tudor I Oprea, Alexander Tropsha, Jean-Loup Faulon & Mark D Rintoul

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-447

The increasing availability of data related to genes, proteins and their modulation by small molecules has provided a vast amount of biological information leading to the emergence of systems biology and the broad use of simulation tools for data analysis. However, there is a critical need to develop cheminformatics tools that can integrate chemical knowledge with these biological databases and simulation approaches, with the goal of creating systems chemical biology.

Full Text - Systems chemical biology | PDF (1,540 KB) - Systems chemical biology

Scripps Florida - p451

Terry L. Sheppard

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-451

A new division of The Scripps Research Institute that is dedicated to biomedical research and drug discovery is taking shape on the shores of southern Florida.

Full Text - Scripps Florida | PDF (1,394 KB) - Scripps Florida

Form finds function - pp452 - 453

Karen N Allen

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-452

Assigning function to uncharacterized enzymes discovered through genome projects has provided a great challenge to the fields of informatics, enzymology and structural biology. Docking potential ligands into flexible models of protein structures and docking potential high-energy intermediates, rather than substrates, into known structures are two new computational approaches that have provided a much-needed boost to the field.

Full Text - Form finds function | PDF (3,002 KB) - Form finds function

See also: Letter by Song et al.

At the crossroad of thiamine degradation and biosynthesis - pp454 - 455

Lucien Bettendorff

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-454

The physiological significance of thiaminase II has escaped our understanding for many years. The recent discovery of a new thiamine salvage pathway shows that this enzyme is involved in the regeneration of precursors for thiamine biosynthesis.

Full Text - At the crossroad of thiamine degradation and biosynthesis | PDF (3,882 KB) - At the crossroad of thiamine degradation and biosynthesis

See also: Letter by Jenkins et al.

Chaperoning cell death: a critical dual role for Hsp90 in small-cell lung cancer - pp455 - 457

Paul Workman & Marissa V Powers

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-455

Chemical probes reveal Hsp90 to be a key molecule for the control of apoptosis in small-cell lung cancer—with important implications for Hsp90 biology and cancer treatment.

Full Text - Chaperoning cell death: a critical dual role for Hsp90 in small-cell lung cancer | PDF (3,014 KB) - Chaperoning cell death: a critical dual role for Hsp90 in small-cell lung cancer

See also: Article by Rodina et al.

Therapeutic treasures from the deep - pp457 - 458

David A Hopwood

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-457

Sequencing of the genome of a newly isolated marine actinomycete has revealed the potential to make a gamut of interesting compounds with potential as therapeutic agents. Deep-sea environments may yield new chemical structures not found in microbes from traditional terrestrial habitats.

Full Text - Therapeutic treasures from the deep | PDF (2,788 KB) - Therapeutic treasures from the deep

Research Highlights - p459

doi:10.1038/nchembio0807-459

Full Text - Research Highlights | PDF (1,413 KB) - Research Highlights