{"title":"The evolution and future of protein science","authors":"Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin , Salvador Ventura","doi":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.11.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"51 1","pages":"Pages 3-5"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145915133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrated approaches for discovery and functional annotation of proteins of unknown function","authors":"Tanishi Moitra , Gerald Larrouy-Maumus","doi":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Proteins of unknown function (PUFs) remain a persistent blind spot in molecular biology. Emerging evidence implicates many PUFs in crucial but poorly characterised roles in biomedical contexts, particularly cancer and infectious diseases. Here, we explore integrative strategies combining high-throughput experimental platforms with computational models to address this gap. We outline how functional insights can be derived across a molecular hierarchy, spanning individual proteins, interaction networks, and transient assemblies, and evaluate the distinct opportunities and challenges faced at each level. Framing these advances within a systems biology lens, we argue that characterising PUFs could redefine therapeutic discovery pipelines. We call for data-driven discovery methods and community efforts to support reproducible, scalable annotation of the ‘dark’ proteome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"51 1","pages":"Pages 80-92"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145627479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advisory Board and Contents","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S0968-0004(25)00310-X","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S0968-0004(25)00310-X","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"51 1","pages":"Pages i-ii"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145915131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subscription and Copyright Information","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S0968-0004(25)00313-5","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S0968-0004(25)00313-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"51 1","pages":"Page e1"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145915135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henry R. Kilgore , Shannon Moreno , Richard A. Young
{"title":"Protein codes and mobility together shape cellular function and disease","authors":"Henry R. Kilgore , Shannon Moreno , Richard A. Young","doi":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.10.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.10.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cells organize their biochemical activities by assembling proteins into both membrane-bound organelles and membrane-less condensates. These compartments enable specialized chemical environments that support unique biochemical functions. Recent evidence indicates that proteins carry encoded instructions for not only protein folding, but also selective distribution into condensate compartments. The dynamic movement of proteins into and within compartments is essential for normal function, while disruptions that reduce protein mobility can impair biochemical rates and cause dysfunction and disease. Here, we review these principles of condensate compartmentalization, emphasizing how encoded protein properties, chemical environments, and dynamic movement shape both cellular health and disease pathology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"51 1","pages":"Pages 8-26"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145627459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Subscription and Copyright Information","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S0968-0004(25)00284-1","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S0968-0004(25)00284-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"50 12","pages":"Page e1"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145665543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The multilayered regulation of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in plants","authors":"Jorge El-Azaz , Hiroshi A. Maeda","doi":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.07.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.07.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The shikimate and aromatic amino acid (AAA) biosynthetic pathways are crucial for the production of L-phenylalanine (Phe), L-tyrosine (Tyr), and L-tryptophan (Trp), as well as vitamins, hormones, and an array of plant natural products, including lignin, a major reservoir of organic carbon on Earth. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the mechanisms that dynamically regulate the AAA biosynthetic pathways of plants, with a particular focus on Phe biosynthesis due to its central role as a precursor to phenylpropanoids. The integration of AAA biosynthesis with upstream and downstream plant metabolism is also discussed, as well as how this fundamental knowledge can inform the bioengineering of plant-based platforms for sustainable production of AAA-derived natural products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"50 12","pages":"Pages 1051-1071"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144938185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The nuclear export receptor CRM1/XPO1 and its diverse cargoes","authors":"Ralph H. Kehlenbach , Yuh Min Chook","doi":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>CRM1 (Exportin 1, XPO1), the best-characterized nuclear export receptor, exports hundreds of proteins and various RNA species. Its broad cargo repertoire necessitates versatile binding modes for diverse interaction partners, including nuclear export signal/sequence (NES)-containing cargoes, the GTPase Ran, nucleoporins that line nuclear pore complexes, and accessory proteins that facilitate export complex assembly or disassembly. We review the current knowledge of CRM1’s protein and RNA cargoes and examine its modes of interactions in the context of the basic mechanism of nuclear export – NES recognition, recent structural studies that reveal how CRM1 engages cargoes beyond NESs, and allosteric regulation. Finally, we touch on the state of NES/cargo prediction, CRM1’s interactions with nucleoporins, and its emerging roles beyond nuclear export.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"50 12","pages":"Pages 1131-1144"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145184493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abi S. Ghifari , Carmela Vazquez-Calvo , Andreas Carlström , Martin Ott
{"title":"Interconnectivity of mitochondrial protein biogenesis and quality control","authors":"Abi S. Ghifari , Carmela Vazquez-Calvo , Andreas Carlström , Martin Ott","doi":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tibs.2025.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitochondrial protein homeostasis (proteostasis) keeps the mitochondrial proteome functional. Thus, proteostasis is essential for mitochondrial activity and overall cellular functions, and a reduction in its function corresponds with diseases and aging in humans. Recent studies in various model organisms highlight components and mechanisms of mitochondrial proteostasis from biogenesis, through assembly, to turnover. Key findings include the identification of new components and mechanistic insights into protein import and mitochondrial translation processes, the interconnectivity of protein biogenesis and quality control, and proteolytic degradation machineries. In this review we discuss these advances that improve our current understanding of the inner workings and significance of the mitochondrial proteostasis network in maintaining functional mitochondria.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":440,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Biochemical Sciences","volume":"50 12","pages":"Pages 1102-1117"},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145224665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}