Special Issue on Discovering New Tools

Abstract

T here is little doubt that new tools catalyze new experiments. Even in the past decade, novel biochemical methods have paved the way for transformative innovations in cellular imaging, 1 molecular cloning, 2 genome engineering, 3 gene regulation, and more. Manuscripts that accurately and completely describe protocols for these tools are an essential component of scientific literature, as they ensure that the tools are not only broadly disseminated but also robust and reproducible. In 2017, Biochemistry launched From the Bench, its first manuscript type dedicated to the publication of novel protocols in all areas of biological chemistry. This special issue, dedicated exclusively to new methods, includes a collection of terrific and wide-ranging From the Bench contributions that each provide step-by-step experimental guidelines. We are delighted to highlight the discovery of new tools as part of the new Biochemistry. ■ MONITORING PROTEIN DYNAMICS AND INTERACTIONSThis issue contains a number of papers that report new methods to interrogate protein structure, function, reactivity, and interactions. Nobuhiko Tokuriki (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC) leverages sequence-similarity networks to study enzyme families and discover new enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Jesse Rinehart and Benjamin Turk (Yale University, New Haven, CT) develop a technique termed SERIOHL-KILR (serine-oriented human library− kinase library reactions) to profile the substrate specificity of serine kinases. Carsten Schultz (Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR) details a methodology for detecting protein−protein interactions based on a novel diazirene-based amino acid cross-linker bearing a click handle for further functionalization. Gideon Schreiber (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel) reports a method for selecting fastbinding mutant proteins, originating from a random yeast library, to assess protein−protein interaction kinetics in vitro.