{"title":"Homogeneous Electrochemical Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Strategy Based On pH-Mediated Redox Potential Regulation","authors":"Jianyang Lu, Yiwei Han, Xiaomeng Yu, Xifeng Chen, Jie Yang, Peng Miao","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500522","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500522","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is widely recognized as the gold standard for protein detection. However, its reliance on expensive and bulky optical instruments limits its use in point-of-care and resource-limited settings. Electrochemical technique emerges as a promising alternative due to its low cost, portability, and simple instrumentation. However, conventional electrochemical methods often require complex surface modifications and suffer from variability between electrodes. To overcome these limitations, a novel homogeneous electrochemical ELISA platform has been developed, that simplifies and accelerates signal acquisition in field settings. This platform leverages pH changes caused by alkaline phosphatase-catalyzed hydrolysis of ATP, resulting in solution acidification. These pH variations are sensitively detected through shifts in the redox potential of methylene blue (MB), a proton-sensitive electrochemical probe. By quantitatively correlating the target protein concentration with MB redox potential shift, a sensitive, reproducible, and quantitative electrochemical detection of a model protein, C-reactive protein, is achieved. This versatile and cost-effective approach holds significant potential to expand the applicability of ELISA to point-of-care diagnostics.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500557
Palapuravan Anees
{"title":"Quantitative Strategies for Decoding Organelle Ion Dynamics","authors":"Palapuravan Anees","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500557","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500557","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ion dynamics within cellular organelles are fundamental to numerous biochemical processes, maintaining homeostasis and enabling critical cellular functions. Despite continuous ion movement across organelle membranes, stable ionic gradients are preserved, creating optimal microenvironments for organelle-specific activities such as ATP production in mitochondria, lysosomal degradation, Golgi-mediated protein modifications, and DNA processing in the nucleus. These gradients are regulated by specialized membrane proteins, including ion channels and transporters, which facilitate selective and controlled ion flux. Dysfunction in these regulatory proteins is linked to various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular conditions, immune dysfunctions, and cancers. Understanding ion regulation mechanisms at the molecular level is not only essential for basic cell biology but also crucial for revealing pathological pathways and identifying therapeutic targets. Recent technological advances—such as fluorescent probes based on green fluorescent protein, small molecules, and DNA nanodevices—have significantly enhanced our ability to study ion dynamics with high spatial and temporal resolution. These tools enable both qualitative and quantitative analyses, offering insights into ion transport mechanisms and their physiological relevance. A comprehensive overview of the principles underlying functional imaging of ion dynamics is provided, current challenges in quantitative assessment are highlighted, and future directions in organelle-specific ion regulation are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500444
Simon Maria Kienle, Katrin Stuber
{"title":"Investigating the Interaction Profile of Unconjugated Ubiquitin: Chemical Biology and Affinity Enrichment Mass Spectrometric Approaches","authors":"Simon Maria Kienle, Katrin Stuber","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500444","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500444","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The covalent attachment of ubiquitin (Ub) to target proteins (ubiquitylation) represents one of the most versatile post-translational modifications (PTM) in eukaryotic cells. Substrate modifications range from a single Ub moiety being attached to a target protein to complex Ub chains that can also contain Ubls (Ub-like proteins) or chemical modifications like acetylation or phosphorylation. The entirety of this complex system is entitled as “the Ub code”. To regulate the Ub code, cells have an arsenal of enzymes to install, translate, and reverse these modifications. However, deciphering the Ub code is challenging due to the difficulty of generating defined Ub/Ubl−protein conjugates. In this mini review, an overview of chemical biology techniques for the generation of defined Ub variants and their subsequent application in affinity enrichment experiments to identify interacting proteins by mass spectrometry is provided. The main focus is on unconjugated Ub variants since they are not well understood even though a “second messenger”-like function of those have been found. Finally, the opportunities to expand this approach to Ubl proteins are briefly discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbic.202500444","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500376
Paul D. O’Dowd, Dan Wu, Alby Benny, Ellen King, Alice Harford, Brendan Twamley, Olga Piskareva, Donal F. O’Shea, Darren M. Griffith
{"title":"Novel Platinum(II) Tetrazine Complex Capable of Live-Cell IEDDA Reaction","authors":"Paul D. O’Dowd, Dan Wu, Alby Benny, Ellen King, Alice Harford, Brendan Twamley, Olga Piskareva, Donal F. O’Shea, Darren M. Griffith","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500376","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500376","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The development of the first Pt(II) tetrazine complex, <i>trans-</i>[Pt(II)Cl<sub>2</sub>(dmso)(CH<sub>3</sub>-Tz-Bz-NH<sub>2</sub>)] (<b>1</b>), is reported, which exhibits good in vitro cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cells and succesfully undergoes inverse electron demand Diels–Alder (IEDDA) reactions with <i>trans</i>-cyclooctene (TCO) and bicyclononyne (BCN) derivates in solution. We demonstrate a live-cell IEDDA reaction of <b>1</b> with a BF<sub>2</sub>-azadipyrromethene fluorophore (NIR-AZA) posessing a BCN handle. A live-cell bioorthogonal reaction is established using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), through a fluorescence lifetime change of 0.3 ns from BF<sub>2</sub>-azadipyrromethene fluorophore starting material to IEDDA Pt fluorophore reaction product. As there is a distinct difference in fluorescence lifetimes between starting material and product, this approach removes the necessity for designing challenging off to on fluorogenic Pt probes and washing steps when developing bioorthogonal cell-imaging strategies for Pt complexes.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbic.202500376","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500437
Gauri M. Patki, Vanthanaa Sridhar, Sudha Rajamani
{"title":"Characterizing Mixed Single-Chain Amphiphile-Based Coacervates as a Robust Protocell System","authors":"Gauri M. Patki, Vanthanaa Sridhar, Sudha Rajamani","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500437","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500437","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Prebiotic soup would have been a dilute pool of chemicals, which would have undergone reactions to form biologically relevant precursors during life's origin. Herein, compartments formed by liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) can concentrated these chemicals, thereby catalyzing their reactions. In this backdrop, LLPS-based systems are being studied, with a decanoic acid-based coacervate system recently described as a model protocell. This is in contrast to studies where fatty acids vesicles are predominantly explored as protocells. Further, exogenous delivery and endogenous synthesis of fatty acids suggest greater prevalence of shorter chain lengths of single-chain amphiphiles on the early Earth. In this backdrop, a mixed amphiphile-based coacervate system composed of nonanoic acid (NA), nonanol (NOH) and tyramine is characterized, which can form coacervates over a broad range of pHs, temperatures, and salt concentrations. This is noteworthy as compositionally heterogenous vesicles have also been shown to have advantages over pure fatty acid vesicles. Additionally, RNA sequestration is demonstrated in these coacervates, which gets enhanced upon addition of cationic amino acids, emphasizing the importance of cosolute interactions in the prebiotic soup. Nonenzymatic template-directed primer extension is also demonstrated in these coacervates, suggesting a potential functional role for these compartments during life's origin.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500424
Mohit Kulshrestha, Soumen Ghosh, Kalyan K. Sadhu
{"title":"Cationic Fluorophores on Citrate-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles for Fluorogenic Detection of Nanomolar Amyloid Beta Monomers","authors":"Mohit Kulshrestha, Soumen Ghosh, Kalyan K. Sadhu","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500424","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500424","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Gold nanoparticle-based fluorogenic enhancement for detection of analytes requires a strategy to quench the fluorescence property of the fluorophore effectively before the treatment of analytes. The designing principle of the fluorophore for gold nanoparticle surface coverage is challenging in comparison with chemical modification of a small organic fluorophore for similar quenching. In this report, the ionic interactions between negatively charged gold nanoparticle and cationic fluorophores have been considered . The interaction between two ionic systems is much more effective than the interaction between charged gold nanoparticle and neutral fluorophore for fluorescence quenching. This simple and sensitive strategy for selective nanomolar detection of monomeric amyloid beta (Aβ) has been demonstrated using the combination of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and cationic fluorophores (<b>1</b> and <b>2</b>). The cationic fluorophores have been generated in aqueous medium from their corresponding radicals by releasing electron. The prompt turn on fluorescence response of <b>1</b> has found to be superior to the similar response from <b>2</b>. The response is suitable for the fluorogenic detection of Aβ monomer within the concentration range 10–130 nM. Further, both the cationic probes have further been utilized successfully to detect monomeric Aβ level in artificial cerebrospinal fluid and human serum albumin.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500428
Hannah Jobelius, Philippe Chaignon, Gabriella I. Bianchino, Joanna Wandzig, Petra Hellwig, Myriam Seemann, Frederic Melin
{"title":"Resonance Raman Spectroscopic Study of the Unusual [4Fe-4S]2+ Cluster of IspH, the Last Enzyme of the Methylerythritol Phosphate Pathway for Terpenoid Biosynthesis","authors":"Hannah Jobelius, Philippe Chaignon, Gabriella I. Bianchino, Joanna Wandzig, Petra Hellwig, Myriam Seemann, Frederic Melin","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500428","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500428","url":null,"abstract":"<p>IspH is the last enzyme of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway. It catalyzes the reductive dehydroxylation of (<i>E</i>)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-en-1-yl diphosphate into isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), which are precursors for the biosynthesis of terpenoids, essential molecules for the survival of all living organisms. This pathway is absent in humans, making it a promising target for drug discovery. <i>Escherichia</i> <i>coli</i> IspH harbors an unusual [4Fe-4S]<sup>2+</sup> cluster linked to three conserved cysteines with a unique iron site proposed to be coordinated to three water molecules. Here, the first resonance Raman spectroscopic study of the cluster of IspH in the 2+ oxidation state is reported. Using isotopic labeling with <sup>2</sup>H<sub>2</sub>O and H<sub>2</sub><sup>18</sup>O, the bands of the cluster that are sensitive to water coordination or hydrogen bonding are identified. The change of geometry of the cluster upon binding of the substrate, an alkyne diphosphate inhibitor, and the two enzyme products is also analyzed. Distinct binding modes to the cluster may indeed be at the origin of the different distribution of IPP and DMAPP observed during catalysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbic.202500428","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500478
Eilidh J. Matheson, Stephen A. Cochrane
{"title":"Hijacking the Electron Train: Menaquinone-Binding Antimicrobial Peptides","authors":"Eilidh J. Matheson, Stephen A. Cochrane","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500478","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500478","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The rise of antibiotic resistance threatens to undermine modern medicine, making the development of new antibiotics and novel targets an urgent priority. Among emerging strategies, targeting menaquinone (MK), a membrane-bound electron carrier, has gained traction as a promising yet underexplored approach. MK is only used for electron transport in bacteria, making it an attractive, selective antimicrobial target. Since the discovery of the first MK-binding antimicrobial peptide (MBAMP), lysocin E, several other examples, natural and synthetic, have been reported. Given the dire need for new antibiotics that are structurally and mechanistically distinct from anything that has come before, MBAMPs potentially offer new hope in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. This review covers recent advances in the discovery, characterization, synthesis and derivatization, and mechanistic understanding of MBAMPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbic.202500478","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500328
Erika Mooney, Gordon Cooke, Emma Caraher, Fintan Kelleher, Bernadette S. Creaven
{"title":"Biofilm Eradication Using Water-Soluble Silver(I) Coumarin Complexes","authors":"Erika Mooney, Gordon Cooke, Emma Caraher, Fintan Kelleher, Bernadette S. Creaven","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500328","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500328","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Water-soluble photostable coumarin acetate complexes of silver(I) are successfully synthesized and characterized and found to have the ability to eradicate preformed MRSA biofilms. Substitution with short PEG chains at the 4-position of the coumarin ring allows the subsequent synthesis of water-soluble coumarin oxyacetate ligands which successfully allowed silver(I) complex formation. The new complexes are characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, microanalysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry where possible. Previous unPEGylated analogs has shown excellent antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic bacteria MRSA, <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and that activity is maintained in the PEGylated complexes. However, the solubility of the un-PEGylated analogs is limited to DMSO, and those silver(I) complexes are unstable in ambient light conditions. Both issues are resolved with the new PEGylated complexes reported here and importantly the ability to eradicate preformed biofilms of MRSA is demonstrated. In addition, a triphenylphosphine adduct complex is also synthesized, but this complex has reduced activity compared to the simple PEGylated complex.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbic.202500328","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemBioChemPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202500391
Dejing Liu, Meiying Zhang, Mao Li
{"title":"Direct Cytosolic Uptake of Cell Penetrating Peptides with Shortened Sidechains","authors":"Dejing Liu, Meiying Zhang, Mao Li","doi":"10.1002/cbic.202500391","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbic.202500391","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Endocytosis and direct translocation serve as the primary mechanisms by which cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) enter cells. Understanding these pathways is vital for unraveling the complexities of cellular uptake, which bears significant relevance to progress in various fields. In this study, the intracellular distribution of arginine octamer analogs is demonstrated to correlate with the length of their side chains. Specifically, peptides with elongated sidechains exhibit enhanced cellular uptake efficiency and a preferential endosomal distribution, whereas mR8—a peptide with a shortened sidechain—primarily enters cells via direct translocation and displays cytosolic/nuclear localization. It is further revealed that these structurally analogous peptides exhibit distinct diffusion characteristics and complexation behaviors with model glycosaminoglycans. These findings contribute to a deeper molecular understanding of the cellular uptake mechanisms of peptides.</p>","PeriodicalId":140,"journal":{"name":"ChemBioChem","volume":"26 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}