Thanks to its atomand step-economy, C–H bond oxidation represents a “hot topic” in synthetic chemistry. However, due to the ubiquity of such bonds in organic molecules, regioand enantioselective C–H bond oxidation turns out to be extremely challenging, and efficient direct methods are in high demand. Compared to the success of aliphatic sp C–H oxidation by enzymes (such as cytochrome P450, Figu...

Plants are increasingly being employed to clean up environmental pollutants such as heavy metals; however, a major limitation of phytoremediation is the inability of plants to mineralize most organic pollutants. A key component of organic pollutants is halogenated aliphatic compounds that include 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA). Although plants lack the enzymatic activity required to metabolize th...

Monoselective γ-C-H olefination and carbonylation of aliphatic acids has been accomplished by using a combination of a quinoline-based ligand and a weakly coordinating amide directing group. The reaction provides a new route for constructing richly functionalized all-carbon quaternary carbon centers at the β-position of aliphatic acids.

BACKGROUND Glucosinolates are natural metabolites in the order Brassicales that defend plants against both herbivores and pathogens and can attract specialized insects. Knowledge about the genes controlling glucosinolate regulation is limited. Here, we identify three R2R3 MYB transcription factors regulating aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis by combining several systems biolog...

Sir, Ethanol, the intoxicant that has plagued civilization down the ages, is metabolized into acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydro-genase. In this connection, a medical student recently posed a humorous but interesting question : "Ethanol does not occur naturally in the body; so, why did Nature provide us with alcohol dehydrogenase unless she meant us to drink?" A diligent search through ...

Sir, Ethanol, the intoxicant that has plagued civilization down the ages, is metabolized into acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydro-genase. In this connection, a medical student recently posed a humorous but interesting question : "Ethanol does not occur naturally in the body; so, why did Nature provide us with alcohol dehydrogenase unless she meant us to drink?" A diligent search through ...

Glucosinolates are Brassicaceae-specific secondary metabolites that act as crop protectants, flavor precursors, and cancer-prevention agents, which shows strong evidences of anticarcinogentic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. MYB28, the R2R3-MYB28 transcription factor, directly activates genes involved in aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis. In this study, the MYB28 homology (BoaMYB2...