Vera Koester

2 days ago | chemistryviews.org | Vera Koester

Researchers led by Alexander N. Grechkin have discovered new oxylipins in the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus. By expressing the protein CYP5164A3 in Escherichia coli and using soybean lipoxygenase to synthesize hydroperoxides, they found that the protein converts specific hydroperoxides into novel compounds called ectocarpins (A-D) and plasmodiophorols (A-C) [1]. The team also identified similar compounds in another organism, Plasmodiophora brassicae, using a related protein.

2 days ago | chemistryviews.org | Vera Koester

Protein S-palmitoylation—the reversible attachment of the fatty acid palmitate to specific cysteine residues—plays a central role in regulating where proteins go in a cell, how stable they are, and how they interact. This lipid modification is catalyzed by a family of enzymes known as palmitoyl-S-acyltransferases (PATs or ZDHHC enzymes), which share a conserved four-amino acid active-site motif: aspartate-histidine-histidine-cysteine (DHHC).

3 days ago | chemistryviews.org | Vera Koester

Get the Most Out of Your Doctorate: Tips for Excelling Without Dying in the AttemptInspired by Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal [1], Javier García Martínez, Professor at the University of Alicante, Spain, and Past-President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), shares tips for young scientists, drawing on insights from both emerging and established chemists.

4 days ago | chemistryviews.org | Vera Koester

In contrast to five-membered phosphorus heterocycles, six-membered phosphorus heterocycles have received comparatively less attention, largely due to the absence of versatile and convenient synthetic methods. Although some six-membered cyclic phosphines and their derivatives have emerged recently, the chemistry of λ⁵-phosphinines—six-membered phosphacycles containing a phosphorus ylide—remains in its early stages.

5 days ago | chemistryviews.org | Vera Koester

Xiao Xiao, Jilin Medical University, P.R. China, Xiaoming Liu, Jilin University, Changchun, P.R. China, and colleagues have synthesized two azadiene-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs), COF-JLU236 (pictured) and COF-JLU237.