13-Oct-2026
Robust enzymes
Ruhr-University BochumPeer-Reviewed Publication
Cells must produce energy despite changing conditions. But what keeps metabolic enzymes functional during temperature fluctuations? A team led by Prof. Simon Ebbinghaus and Dr. Harshita Rastogi at Ruhr University Bochum and the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability investigated this question using phosphofructokinase-1 platelet isoform (PFKP), a central enzyme in glucose metabolism. They found that thermal protection depends less on the size of crowding molecules than on the subtle chemical interactions among them, which can determine how well the enzyme remains active as temperatures rise. Their work was published in the science magazine Angewandte Chemie International Edition from October 8, 2026.
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Funder
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Czech Science Foundation, Czech Academy of Sciences, West Virginia University