Volume 4 Issue 3, March 2008

Building on his contributions to NMR methodologies for studying metalloproteins, Bertini has been instrumental in bringing together inorganic chemists and biologists interested in metals in biology.

Methylmalonyl coenzyme A mutase (MCM) catalyzes the adenosylcobalamin-dependent isomerization of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. Adenosyltransferase, an enzyme that carries out the final step in biosynthesis of adenosylcobalamin, is shown to be involved in delivery of the cofactor to MCM.

The highly sensitive and artificial biochemical assays that enable high-throughput screening are vulnerable to artifact-generating compounds that occur in drug screening collections. An investigation of known aggregator compounds and amyloid fibrillization inhibitors suggests that such inhibitors operate via a nonspecific mechanism in a well-used assay of amyloid fibrillization.

The escape of mature malaria parasites from the confines of their host red blood cells is an essential yet poorly understood process. Recent studies now highlight a key role for parasite proteases that trigger the degradation of parasite and host membranes, leading to the egress of infectious parasite forms.

Postsynthetic modifications are widespread in genetic regulation. Trm9-mediated modification of the anticodon wobble base of specific tRNAs modulates expression of DNA damage response mRNAs in which cognate codons are unusually overrepresented. Thus, modification-dependent tRNA decoding activity is keyed to codon use in a genetic program.

A novel biosensor developed to visualize phosphatidylserine in intact cells suggests a new role for the anionic lipid in specifying intracellular membranes involved in signaling events.

In this issue, we highlight important recent advances in understanding both the chemistry and biology of metals in biological systems. We also feature new tools and approaches that can be used to gain a better understanding of the roles that metal ions play in cells and in whole organisms. We hope this collection of articles highlights the excitement of the 'chemical biology' of metals.