Researchers from the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the Shemyakin- Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry together with international collaborators published two papers in The FEBS Journal confirming the role of the CPH enzyme in the fungal bioluminescence pathway: it breaks down oxyluciferin into caffeic and pyruvic acids, helping sustain light emission by recycling caffeic acid back into the bioluminescent system, while pyruvic acid may be redirected into central metabolism to help generate cellular energy. The findings open up opportunities for developing more efficient autonomous bioluminescent systems for medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Scientists from the Department of Biomolecular Chemistry at the Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences developed autoluminescent reporters for non-invasive imaging of plant defence responses. Using consumer-grade cameras, they visualized the spatiotemporal activity of the phytohormones salicylic acid and jasmonic acid in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana during normal development as well as in response to pest and pathogen attacks. The study was published in Nature Communications.

Researchers from the Department of Genomics and Postgenomic Technologies at the State Research Center Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Regenerative Medicine at Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University have shown that the ag1 gene, an important regulator of regeneration in amphibians that was lost in all amniotes, including reptiles, birds, and mammals, during evolution, can accelerate skin wound healing when introduced into the mouse genome. Activation of this gene in transgenic mice was found to trigger molecular programs associated with regeneration-biased and scar- reduced tissue repair. These findings open new perspectives for fundamental research in tissue regeneration and repair. The results are published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.  

Viruses often use non-standard mechanisms to translate their mRNAs, which makes it possible to suppress the translation of cellular mRNAs and capture the entire cellular translation apparatus for the synthesis of viral proteins. In a paper published in Nucleic Acids Research, the authors from IBCh and colleagues from the Justus Liebig University (Germany) found that picornaviruses from the genus of cardioviruses (for example, encephalomyocarditis virus, EMCV) have two structures similar to glycyl tRNA in the 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions of mRNA. It has been shown that these elements bind glycyl tRNA synthetase (GARS), and this is necessary for efficient translation of viral mRNA. The interaction of the GARS dimer with 5’ and 3'HTO is likely to cause mRNA cyclization.

Researchers from the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, MEPhI, the Kurchatov Institute, and Uppsala University have developed a novel nanoparticle system for the effective delivery of rifampicin to the lungs. Using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with a MIL-101(Cr) structure, the team achieved high antibiotic loading and sustained release, offering a potential breakthrough in treating bacterial lung infections, including tuberculosis. The study was published in the journal Biomedical Materials.

For deciphering the molecular mechanisms of bioluminescence and creating glowing plants

Scientists from the Department of Molecular Neuroimmune Signaling of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, together with colleagues from the Prokhorov General Physics Institute RAS using Raman spectroscopy carried out a comparative analysis of various animal venoms and a number of different nature substances (not-venoms), and the applicability of this method for the identification of animal venoms was demonstrated.

The journal Trends in Biotechnology published a review devoted to biotechnologies based on the fungal bioluminescence pathway (FBP). Unlike luminescent reporter systems that require the addition of a substrate, FBP uses the natural metabolite caffeic acid to maintain continuous, autonomous luminescence. This allows for the production of autonomously luminescent living organisms and overcomes the key limitations of previous technologies. The review examines recent advances in the creation of luminescent plants and FBP-based biosensors and discusses the potential applications of this reporter system in science and the economy.

A research team from the Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the N.N. Burdenko Neurosurgical Сутеук has presented a revolutionary approach to treating spinal cord injury (SCI). The study results are published in the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Science (Wiley publisher).

The Editorial Board of the Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry announces the release of a special issue of the journal dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Soviet/Russian scientist, one of the founders of Russian structural biology, Professor Alexander Arseniev (1951–2025).