Mammalian cells were engineered to synthesize valine, a metabolic capacity that had been lost from the lineage of higher eukaryotes for >500 million years.

In Drosophila melanogaster, nutrition controls body size by acting through the Forkhead Box class O (FoxO)/Ultraspiracle complex to regulate nutrition-sensitive ecdysone biosynthesis, thereby controlling the switch to stop growth.

Analysis of suppressor mutants led to the identification of a novel signalling pathway that regulates peptidoglycan biosynthesis in Gram-positive bacteria.

Increased production of ether lipids is required to extend lifespan in response to metformin, phenformin, and multiple, distinct, longevity-promoting manipulations, illuminating the possibility that raising ether lipid levels represents a new therapeutic strategy to support healthy aging.

A new type of hybrid nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)-like-pteridine synthase biosynthetic pathway has been illuminated via genome mining.

Insights into the basic metabolic architecture and adaptations of malaria parasites for growth within human erythrocytes exemplify how incisive knowledge of biochemical pathways and mechanisms may be leveraged to develop new therapies.

Upon deletion of threonine deaminases, biosynthesis of isoleucine is rescued by two promiscuous reactions, one emerges under aerobic conditions and the other is naturally active under anaerobic conditions.

The important role of serine biosynthesis in Müller cells may explain why the macula is so much more prone to developing disease than the rest of the retina.

The X-ray crystal structure of the unusual carbon–carbon bond-forming biosynthetic enzyme CylK reveals a unique biochemical strategy for selective alkyl halide activation and substitution.

The entire biosynthetic pathway for the diterpenoid forskolin in Coleus forskohlii has been reconstituted in yeast.