Researchers at the Biocatalysis group led by Dr Francesco Mutti at the Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (University of Amsterdam) have developed a novel use of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes. In an article designated as VIP (very important paper) in Angewandte Chemie, they describe how ADHs can forge direct links between alcohols and amines or thiols. The result is a clean synthesis of a variety of amides and thioesters. These are highly valuable functional compounds in many industrial synthesis routes, from medicines to advanced materials.

Researchers at Leipzig University and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg have investigated a previously unknown process that occurs during protein synthesis in the cell. They examined how so-called adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs) split themselves into two parts. This self-cleavage takes place in a region of the protein known as the GAIN domain, which is considered crucial for the receptor’s ability to detect and transmit signals. The self-cleavage acts as a kind of built-in quality control: only correctly cleaved receptors are allowed to leave the “cell factory” and reach the surface. The study has just been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Some colourful lizards and a mathematical formula from the finance sector have been used to build a new framework to model evolution.