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Short peptides are among the most intriguing building blocks in nanotechnology, but it would be very challenging to experimentally study the properties of large numbers of different sequences. Now, a computational analysis of all 8,000 possible tripeptides has been used to identify those with interesting self-assembly behaviour.
The photoinduced production of hydrogen from HCl is an attractive alternative to water splitting. Insights into this challenging reaction have now been gained using photocrystallography, which provides a snapshot of the structural changes occurring during the elimination of chlorine from a dinuclear rhodium catalyst.
DNA self-assembly has previously been used to create channel-like structures that can penetrate through lipid bilayer membranes. However, such assemblies have not been shown to cause cell death before. Now a DNA nanopore has been shown to exert a cytotoxic effect when administered to cells.
A combined experimental and theoretical study of the biosynthesis of a family of antibacterial natural products has uncovered some of the finer details of unusual stereoselectivity observed in a peptide cyclization.
Creating chemical systems that can model living systems is far from easy. However, the evolution of oil droplets in water through the application of artificial selective pressure to produce droplets with dramatically different — yet specific — behaviours, is an encouraging step in this direction.
Molecular simulations have the potential to give valuable insights into experimental results, but can be limited by the time- and length-scales they can simulate. Now, reactive chemistry can be driven through a novel simulation approach, which could have ramifications for many research areas, including astrobiology and the origins of life.
Enhancing the structural diversity of peptide natural products relies on synthetic modifications that are typically not chemo- or regioselective. A nonribosomal peptide synthetase has now been engineered to incorporate a non-natural amino acid containing a reactive bio-orthogonal handle.
Rotaxanes with cyclodextrin end groups have been used as a platform to investigate anion binding in water, revealing that halogen bonding can serve as the basis for molecular recognition in aqueous solvents, which may have implications in medicinal chemistry and beyond.
Lignin is an abundant renewable resource, but its intrinsic recalcitrant nature has so far hampered its conversion into higher value chemicals. Now, a two-step strategy, oxidation followed by bond cleavage, has been shown to deconstruct lignin into high yields of low-molecular-weight aromatics.
Oxidation of 5-methylcytosine has been proposed to mediate active and passive DNA demethylation. Tracking the history of DNA modifications has now provided the first solid evidence that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is a stable epigenetic modification.
To convert solar energy into viable fuels, coupling light-harvesting materials to catalysts is a crucial challenge. Now, the combination of an organic supramolecular hydrogel and a non-precious metal catalyst has been demonstrated to be effective for photocatalytic H2 production.
High-throughput screening of solvothermal crystallization conditions for MOFs and other solids may receive a boost from the application of 3D printing techniques to low-cost, disposable pressure vessels.
The synthesis and isolation of a silane adduct of an electrophilic boron species provides insight into the mechanism of metal-free catalytic reductions based on frustrated Lewis pairs.
Understanding the intrinsic properties of molecules that protect our skin from the harmful rays of the Sun is critical to developing more efficacious sunscreen products. Now, gas-phase spectroscopy and microsolvation studies of model ultraviolet-filter molecules have shown that they may provide a route to developing improved sunscreens.
A better understanding of electron transfer through molecules could provide the basis for many technological breakthroughs. Now, the rate of electron transfer has been enhanced in a family of molecules by making them more rigid, and this phenomenon may be explained by the loss of electronic energy to vibrations.
Self-assembled cylinders can generally be extended only from their ends — growth that is considered to be 'one-dimensional'. Now, platelet-like structures with controlled size and composition have been constructed by growth in two dimensions of self-assembled structures, starting from crystallite seed micelles.
Bicyclic peptides that are cell-permeable and can inhibit an intracellular target have been developed. These peptides consist of two rings: one enables the peptide to pass through the membrane, the other can inhibit the target.
A synthetic compound that transports chloride across membranes can kill both normal cells and cancer cells in vitro. The transporter works together with sodium channels to move NaCl into the cells, which triggers cell death.
The generation of chemical libraries for screening is a key part of the drug discovery process. Now, two studies describe attempts to combine features of natural product biosynthesis into the creation of libraries with the aim of mimicking nature's success at the production of bioactive molecules.
