Excited to share our new paper is out in TPJ! 🌱
"Out of the blue: family-wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae"
We explore the anthocyanin biosynthesis gene loss through comparative genomics:
doi.org/10.1111/tpj....
@nancy-choudhary.bsky.social @puckerlab.bsky.social
#Evolution
"Out of the blue: family-wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae"
We explore the anthocyanin biosynthesis gene loss through comparative genomics:
doi.org/10.1111/tpj....
@nancy-choudhary.bsky.social @puckerlab.bsky.social
#Evolution
September 26, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Excited to share our new paper is out in TPJ! 🌱
"Out of the blue: family-wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae"
We explore the anthocyanin biosynthesis gene loss through comparative genomics:
doi.org/10.1111/tpj....
@nancy-choudhary.bsky.social @puckerlab.bsky.social
#Evolution
"Out of the blue: family-wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae"
We explore the anthocyanin biosynthesis gene loss through comparative genomics:
doi.org/10.1111/tpj....
@nancy-choudhary.bsky.social @puckerlab.bsky.social
#Evolution
hold on, I'm being told we study trypsin biosynthesis in mosquitos by giving them enemas
February 20, 2025 at 2:13 AM
hold on, I'm being told we study trypsin biosynthesis in mosquitos by giving them enemas
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 1/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Three-step biosynthesis of salicylic acid from benzoyl-CoA in plants - Nature
The salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis pathway—involving ligation of benzoyl coenzyme A and benzyl alcohol to give benzyl benzoate; hydroxylation of benzyl benzoate to give benzyl salicylate; and cleava...
www.nature.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Three back-to-back Salicylic Acid biosynthesis papers 1/3 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Coenzyme A biosynthesis is regulated by two distinct Ubiquitin E3 ligase complexes | UBR4-KCMF1 and MKLN1-CTLH independently converge on a common N-terminal MK Arg/N-degron to promote PANK degradation and restrict CoA biosynthesis | @ispt-proteinterm.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Parallel Arg/N-degron recognition systems regulate coenzyme A biosynthesis
Coenzyme A (CoA) is an essential metabolic cofactor whose biosynthesis is controlled by pantothenate kinases (PANKs), the rate-limiting enzymes in CoA synthesis. Although CoA production is extensively...
www.biorxiv.org
September 21, 2026 at 7:44 AM
Coenzyme A biosynthesis is regulated by two distinct Ubiquitin E3 ligase complexes | UBR4-KCMF1 and MKLN1-CTLH independently converge on a common N-terminal MK Arg/N-degron to promote PANK degradation and restrict CoA biosynthesis | @ispt-proteinterm.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Our work on Taxol biosynthesis is now out at @natsynth.nature.com. You can read it here: www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Elucidation of the final steps in Taxol biosynthesis and its biotechnological production - Nature Synthesis
In Taxol biosynthesis, the steps leading up to the intermediate baccatin III are understood, however, the final steps remain elusive. Here elucidation of the final steps of Taxol biosynthesis enables ...
www.nature.com
May 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Our work on Taxol biosynthesis is now out at @natsynth.nature.com. You can read it here: www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Redox control of antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces.
Remarkable work led by @katienoble241.bsky.social and Rebecca Devine demonstrates why antibiotic biosynthesis is often switched on in solid cultures and off in liquid.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Remarkable work led by @katienoble241.bsky.social and Rebecca Devine demonstrates why antibiotic biosynthesis is often switched on in solid cultures and off in liquid.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Redox control of antibiotic biosynthesis
Streptomyces bacteria make diverse specialised metabolites that form the basis of ~55% of clinically used antibiotics. Despite this, only 3% of their encoded specialised metabolites have been matched ...
www.biorxiv.org
March 10, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Redox control of antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces.
Remarkable work led by @katienoble241.bsky.social and Rebecca Devine demonstrates why antibiotic biosynthesis is often switched on in solid cultures and off in liquid.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Remarkable work led by @katienoble241.bsky.social and Rebecca Devine demonstrates why antibiotic biosynthesis is often switched on in solid cultures and off in liquid.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Nature research paper: Biosynthesis of cinchona alkaloids
go.nature.com/4rDd8L6
go.nature.com/4rDd8L6
Biosynthesis of cinchona alkaloids - Nature
A combination of isotopic labelling, gene silencing, single-nucleus RNA sequencing and comparative transcriptomics reveal the genes that mediate the biosynthesis of cinchona alkaloids in plants.
go.nature.com
March 19, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Nature research paper: Biosynthesis of cinchona alkaloids
go.nature.com/4rDd8L6
go.nature.com/4rDd8L6
CERK1-mediated phosphorylation of nitrilases activates auxin biosynthesis and promotes resistance to Botrytis cinerea (Jiarui Zheng , Sufen Chen , Yawen Wang , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial
September 22, 2026 at 12:11 PM
CERK1-mediated phosphorylation of nitrilases activates auxin biosynthesis and promotes resistance to Botrytis cinerea (Jiarui Zheng , Sufen Chen , Yawen Wang , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial
Exciting new work from Sattely lab with collaborator @pollyfordyce.bsky.social and coworkers @stanford-chemh.bsky.social, solving they biosynthesis of taxol!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Discovery of FoTO1 and Taxol genes enables biosynthesis of baccatin III - Nature
An approach that combines single-nucleus RNA sequencing and multiplexed perturbation identifies genes that enable the biosynthesis of direct precursors of the anti-cancer drug Taxol, whose curren...
www.nature.com
June 19, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Exciting new work from Sattely lab with collaborator @pollyfordyce.bsky.social and coworkers @stanford-chemh.bsky.social, solving they biosynthesis of taxol!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Unusual heterocycles and biosynthesis of natural products, published today in Communications Chemistry 🧵
December 19, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Unusual heterocycles and biosynthesis of natural products, published today in Communications Chemistry 🧵
Online now: Opportunities for merging biosynthesis and biocatalysis
Opportunities for merging biosynthesis and biocatalysis
Biosynthesis and biocatalysis are increasingly integrated to reshape the landscape of sustainable chemistry. The translation of natural biosynthetic enzymes into viable practical biocatalysts remains constrained by bottlenecks in structural stability, substrate tolerance, and catalytic efficiency. This perspective highlights the synergistic potential unlocked by the merge of biosynthesis and biocatalysis.
dlvr.it
September 25, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Online now: Opportunities for merging biosynthesis and biocatalysis
Interesting review in JXB:
How and why plants came to smell green: the origins, biosynthesis, and roles of green leaf volatiles
#plantscience
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
How and why plants came to smell green: the origins, biosynthesis, and roles of green leaf volatiles
#plantscience
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
How and why plants came to smell green: the origins, biosynthesis, and roles of green leaf volatiles
Rapidly released from damaged cells, green leaf volatiles exemplify an evolutionary adaptation conserved across terrestrial plants, serving as essential de
academic.oup.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Interesting review in JXB:
How and why plants came to smell green: the origins, biosynthesis, and roles of green leaf volatiles
#plantscience
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
How and why plants came to smell green: the origins, biosynthesis, and roles of green leaf volatiles
#plantscience
academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-...
All currently approved antibiotics inhibit essential cellular processes. Ever wonder if we could kill bacteria using the opposite strategy?
Here, we demonstrate an alternative antibacterial strategy: lethality through pathway over-activation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(1 out of 3)
Here, we demonstrate an alternative antibacterial strategy: lethality through pathway over-activation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(1 out of 3)
Activation of l-histidine biosynthesis as a new antibiotic strategy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Nature Communications
Here, the authors report metabolic activation as a potential antimicrobial strategy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They show that supra-physiological activation of L-histidine biosynthesis r...
www.nature.com
March 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM
All currently approved antibiotics inhibit essential cellular processes. Ever wonder if we could kill bacteria using the opposite strategy?
Here, we demonstrate an alternative antibacterial strategy: lethality through pathway over-activation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(1 out of 3)
Here, we demonstrate an alternative antibacterial strategy: lethality through pathway over-activation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(1 out of 3)
A synthetic cell with integrated DNA self-replication and membrane biosynthesis doi.org/10.1101/2025...
January 15, 2025 at 8:08 AM
A synthetic cell with integrated DNA self-replication and membrane biosynthesis doi.org/10.1101/2025...
New pre-print. Biosynthesis of limonene in Marchantia is carried out by a small biosynthetic gene cluster specific to oil body cells #PlantScience www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Neryl diphosphate-derived monoterpene biosynthesis via a biosynthetic gene cluster in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha
Monoterpenes (C10) are a large group of specialized metabolites important for plant interactions with the environment. Their biosynthesis is well understood in seed plants, where geranyl diphosphate s...
www.biorxiv.org
July 18, 2026 at 12:48 PM
New pre-print. Biosynthesis of limonene in Marchantia is carried out by a small biosynthetic gene cluster specific to oil body cells #PlantScience www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Excited about plant pigments? Anthocyanin biosynthesis is a hot topic in plant biology, judging by the growing number of publications #FlavonoidFriday
doi.org/10.20944/pre... & shorturl.at/Hrm4c
@puckerlab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.20944/pre... & shorturl.at/Hrm4c
@puckerlab.bsky.social
March 27, 2026 at 5:59 AM
Excited about plant pigments? Anthocyanin biosynthesis is a hot topic in plant biology, judging by the growing number of publications #FlavonoidFriday
doi.org/10.20944/pre... & shorturl.at/Hrm4c
@puckerlab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.20944/pre... & shorturl.at/Hrm4c
@puckerlab.bsky.social
Nature research paper: Complete biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine in plants
go.nature.com/4kRXeco
go.nature.com/4kRXeco
Complete biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine in plants - Nature
Characterization of four SALICYLIC ACID-DEFICIENT GENEs in rice identifies an ancestral pathway for biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine and provides genetic targets for engineering disease resistance in crop plants.
go.nature.com
July 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Nature research paper: Complete biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine in plants
go.nature.com/4kRXeco
go.nature.com/4kRXeco
Now online! Complete biosynthesis of nicotine
Complete biosynthesis of nicotine
Glycosylation and deglycosylation complete nicotine biosynthesis by enabling stereoselective condensation of its two heterocyclic rings within a vacuolar membrane metabolon. This integrated biosynthetic and transport machinery is transferable to heterologous systems for efficient nicotine production and pest resistance.
dlvr.it
April 1, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Now online! Complete biosynthesis of nicotine
‘Missing’ genes needed for the biosynthesis of a natural anticancer drug have been discovered by perturbing and analysing individual cells of yew trees
https://go.nature.com/3ZYip4X
https://go.nature.com/3ZYip4X
Biochemical breakthrough paves way to reliable supply of anticancer drug
‘Missing’ genes needed for the biosynthesis of a natural anticancer drug have been discovered by perturbing and analysing individual cells of yew trees.
go.nature.com
June 13, 2025 at 10:21 AM
‘Missing’ genes needed for the biosynthesis of a natural anticancer drug have been discovered by perturbing and analysing individual cells of yew trees
https://go.nature.com/3ZYip4X
https://go.nature.com/3ZYip4X
Today in Nature we report a systematic strategy to activate & identify gene sets in plants. We identify 8 new genes from the yew tree's Taxol biosynthetic pathway, enabling us to engineer tobacco with 17- & 20-gene pathways to Taxol precursors baccatin III & deBz-deoxy-Taxol #SingleCell #secmet 🧬🧪🌾
Discovery of FoTO1 and Taxol genes enables biosynthesis of baccatin III - Nature
An approach that combines single-nucleus RNA sequencing and multiplexed perturbation identifies genes that enable the biosynthesis of direct precursors of the anti-cancer drug Taxol, whose curren...
www.nature.com
June 11, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Today in Nature we report a systematic strategy to activate & identify gene sets in plants. We identify 8 new genes from the yew tree's Taxol biosynthetic pathway, enabling us to engineer tobacco with 17- & 20-gene pathways to Taxol precursors baccatin III & deBz-deoxy-Taxol #SingleCell #secmet 🧬🧪🌾
Friday Flower 002: Mirabilis jalapa🌺✨
Four O’Clocks, like other Caryophyllales, produce red (betacyanins) and yellow (betaxanthins) petal sectors through differential regulation of betalain biosynthesis during corolla development.
Four O’Clocks, like other Caryophyllales, produce red (betacyanins) and yellow (betaxanthins) petal sectors through differential regulation of betalain biosynthesis during corolla development.
August 29, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Friday Flower 002: Mirabilis jalapa🌺✨
Four O’Clocks, like other Caryophyllales, produce red (betacyanins) and yellow (betaxanthins) petal sectors through differential regulation of betalain biosynthesis during corolla development.
Four O’Clocks, like other Caryophyllales, produce red (betacyanins) and yellow (betaxanthins) petal sectors through differential regulation of betalain biosynthesis during corolla development.
Dear Cell, is this a joke??! (Westerns in figS5) Complete biosynthesis of nicotine: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
April 2, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Dear Cell, is this a joke??! (Westerns in figS5) Complete biosynthesis of nicotine: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
I'm very happy that this paper is now published in PNAS!
Isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis appears to have emerged in the Brassicales after the divergence of C. papaya, likely within the timeframe between the divergence of B. maritima and R. odorata.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis appears to have emerged in the Brassicales after the divergence of C. papaya, likely within the timeframe between the divergence of B. maritima and R. odorata.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Emergence of isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis within Brassicales | PNAS
Salicylic acid (SA) is a major defense phytohormone. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the
isochorismate (IC) pathway is the primary route for pathogen-indu...
www.pnas.org
July 18, 2025 at 7:52 AM
I'm very happy that this paper is now published in PNAS!
Isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis appears to have emerged in the Brassicales after the divergence of C. papaya, likely within the timeframe between the divergence of B. maritima and R. odorata.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Isochorismate-based salicylic acid biosynthesis appears to have emerged in the Brassicales after the divergence of C. papaya, likely within the timeframe between the divergence of B. maritima and R. odorata.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
1/New paper from Zheng Wu, Phong Nguyen et al. @cri-utsw.bsky.social shows how cells balance the two pathways that produce purine nucleotides: de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. The surprising mechanism involves NUDT5, a Nudix hydrolase
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
NUDT5 regulates purine metabolism and thiopurine sensitivity by interacting with PPAT
Cells generate purine nucleotides through de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. Purine salvage represses DNPB to prevent excessive purine nucleotide synthesis through mechanisms that ...
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:01 PM
1/New paper from Zheng Wu, Phong Nguyen et al. @cri-utsw.bsky.social shows how cells balance the two pathways that produce purine nucleotides: de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. The surprising mechanism involves NUDT5, a Nudix hydrolase
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Out of the blue: family‐wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @theplantjournal.bsky.social
Out of the blue: family‐wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae
Anthocyanins are nearly universal plant pigments, making their evolutionary loss unexpected. Phylogenomics across Cucurbitaceae reveals the consistent absence of key structural and regulatory genes i...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 24, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Out of the blue: family‐wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @theplantjournal.bsky.social