Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

eLife reviews research that gives new insights into biological molecules or uses chemical approaches to illuminate complex biological processes. Learn more about what we review and sign up for the latest research.
Illustration by Davide Bonazzi

Latest articles

    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
    2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

    The cryo-EM structure of ASK1 reveals an asymmetric architecture allosterically modulated by TRX1

    Karolina Honzejkova, Dalibor Kosek ... Tomas Obsil
    Thioredoxin functions as a negative allosteric effector of ASK1 by altering the interaction between the thioredoxin-binding and tetratricopeptide repeats domains, thereby reducing access to the kinase domain's activation segment.
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

    Conformation selection by ATP-competitive inhibitors and allosteric communication in ERK2

    Jake W Anderson, David Vaisar ... Natalie G Ahn
    New ATP-competitive inhibitors show properties of conformation selection when complexed with the MAP kinase, ERK2, altering movements around the activation loop.
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

    Large-scale characterization of drug mechanism of action using proteome-wide thermal shift assays

    Jonathan G. Van Vranken, Jiaming Li ... Devin K. Schweppe
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

    Meta-Research: Blinding reduces institutional prestige bias during initial review of applications for a young investigator award

    Anne E Hultgren, Nicole MF Patras, Jenna Hicks
    Blinding the initial review of applications for Beckman Young Investigator awards reduces prestige bias, but has no impact on the success rates for different genders.
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
    2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

    Phosphorylation, disorder, and phase separation govern the behavior of Frequency in the fungal circadian clock

    Daniyal Tariq, Nicole Maurici ... Brian R Crane
    The intrinsic disorder of the circadian clock protein Frequency organizes binding partners, facilitates liquid–liquid phase separation, modulates Frequency phosphorylation, and derives from sequence properties conserved with homologous clock components.
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
    2. Microbiology and Infectious Disease

    Purine nucleosides replace cAMP in allosteric regulation of PKA in trypanosomatid pathogens

    Veronica Teresa Ober, George Boniface Githure ... Michael Boshart
    A minimal subset of two to three residues in cyclic nucleotide binding (CNB) domains controls nucleoside vs. cyclic nucleotide specificity, repurposing PKA of certain pathogens for novel nucleoside signaling pathways or sensing.
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

    Structural mechanisms for VMAT2 inhibition by tetrabenazine

    Michael P Dalton, Mary Hongying Cheng ... Jonathan A Coleman
    The structure of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 bound to Huntington’s chorea drug tetrabenazine elucidates mechanisms of inhibition and neurotransmitter transport.
    1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
    2. Neuroscience

    Assembly of neuron- and radial glial-cell-derived extracellular matrix molecules promotes radial migration of developing cortical neurons

    Ayumu Mubuchi, Mina Takechi ... Shinji Miyata
    The extracellular matrix formed during embryonic brain development facilitates the migration of cortical neurons.