The elements of life: A biocentric tour of the periodic table

Synthesis and Enzymatic Conversion of Amino Acids Equipped with the Silanetriol Functionality: A Prelude to Silicon Biodiversification

“…In accordance with the literature, [29] 29 Si NMR shifts allowed to distinguish free silane triols, mono-crosslinked (M), di-crosslinked (D) and tri-crosslinked (T) structures (Figure 2). In parallel, 1 H NMR spectra and DOSY experiments at c = 0.01 M revealed the evolving spectral resolution from poorly-resolved signals for just-prepared samples to well-resolved resonances after some hours or days. This is highly suggestive of depolymerisation of siloxane networks liberating monomer II as already observed by Sieburth.…”

“…The chemical constitution common to all known living cells is apparently restricted to the ten elements C, H, N, O, P, S, K, Mg, Zn and Mn. [1] Certain elements are present in the composition of most species but absent in others, thus Escherichia coli is devoid of Na and Cl, Saccharomyces cerevisiae of Mo and Lactobacillus plantarum of Fe. The templated biosynthesis of informational polymers proceeds by exclusively incorporating the C, H, N, O, P subset in nucleic acids (as catalyzed by RNA and DNA polymerases) and the C, H, N, O, S subset in proteins (as catalyzed by ribosomes).…”

Fluorescent Protein-Based Sensors for Detecting Essential Metal Ions across the Tree of Life

“…Iron is the most abundant transition metal and, with few exceptions, is required for most organisms, while zinc is perhaps the only transition metal that is essential for all life. 2,146 Although there are now many examples of fluorescent protein-based sensors for Zn and several for Cu, there are few examples for Mn, Co, Ni, or Mo and currently none for Fe.…”

“…As one of the most abundant ions in biology, monovalent potassium is the dominant intracellular cation and is universally required for life. , In addition to its role in the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance in cells, potassium ions are found as enzymatic cofactors in various enzymes along key metabolic pathways and are considered essential to ribosome assembly and function. , Despite the widespread importance of K + ions, the development of fluorescent protein-based K + sensors has lagged far behind Ca 2+ sensors. The recent development of several fluorescent protein-based K + sensors was enabled by the identification of a K + -binding protein (Kbp) from E. coli in 2016 (Table ).…”

Calibration free laser ablation molecular isotopic spectrometry (CF-LAMIS) for boron isotopic composition determination

“…In addition to the elds mentioned above, B-IC is an inevitable factor in hydrology, oceanography, environmental sciences, etc. [12][13][14][15] This increased interest in B-IC demands an accurate and precise isotopic composition calculation method.…”