This review focuses on the critical role of amino acid metabolism in breast cancer development and progression. It explains how cancer cells reprogram amino acid usage—especially glutamine, serine, glycine, aspartate, arginine, and tryptophan—to support proliferation, survival, immune evasion, and metastasis. The review emphasizes metabolic heterogeneity among different breast cancer subtypes and explores therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways.

The photoreaction cycle of the blue-light receptor protein BLUF domains involves forward and reverse proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions, yet a unified cross-species mechanism is lacking. By capturing the key proton relay intermediates, for the first time we resolved the photoreaction mechanism of the BLUF domain light state using a unified kinetic model.

This review article provides a comprehensive overview of stress granules (SGs) —membraneless organelles formed in response to cellular stress—and their interactions with other organelles. It explores their structure, function, roles in health and disease, especially neurodegeneration, and discusses methodologies used to study these interactions. SGs influence critical cellular pathways, and understanding their interplay with both membrane-bound and membraneless organelles can reveal potential therapeutic targets for diseases like ALS and FTD.

Recently, Prof. Shou-Fei Zhu’s research group at Nankai University reported in CCS Chemistry a highly efficient and selective hydro-silylation reaction of asymmetric internal alkynes with trisubstituted silanes, catalyzed by a cobalt complex bearing a cyclopropane-based diphosphine ligand. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions, demonstrates broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance, and is generally applicable for the synthesis of alkenylsilanes. Notably, the reaction displays a unique additive effect, where the regioselectivity reverses depending on the additive used. Mechanistic studies revealed that different additives alter the spin state of the catalyst during the reaction, leading to divergent regioselectivities. This study provides new insights into the rational application of additives in catalysis.

Monocyte-derived alveolar macrophages, or Mo-AMs, have been identified as key drivers of lung fibrosis disease, but the mechanisms of their pro-fibrotic behavior and survival in the lungs remained unclear. Researchers now show that TREM2, a cell surface receptor protein on Mo-AM cells, is a key mediator in this pathology and a valuable target for developing strategies to neutralize the pro-fibrotic effect of these macrophages.

Cell sheet preparation for use in tissue engineering and regenerative therapies could be significantly improved with the use of thermo-responsive polymer brushes, adjusted in length and density according to specific cell types

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Lee Ho Seong) has successfully developed a nanomaterial* capable of simultaneously performing cancer diagnosis, treatment, and immune response induction.

Progesterone (P4) is the optimal agent for luteal support in assisted reproductive technologies. Despite the availability of various formulations, the impacts of P4 treatment administered through different routes on offspring growth remain unevaluated. This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of P4 administration through three different routes in pregnant rats during the teratogenesis-sensitive period on fertility outcomes and the behavior, plasma P4 and pregnenolone levels, and alterations in gut microbiota in the filial generation (F1) of offspring.