OBC is delighted to introduce our Editor’s Choice collection!
This collection showcases some of the best articles published in the journal, handpicked by our Associate Editors and Editorial Board members. This month we have a selection of recent OBC articles chosen by our Associate Editor Motomu Kanai.
Meet the Editor
Motomu Kanai received his bachelor degree from the University of Tokyo in 1989 and his PhD from Osaka University in 1995. He then moved to the University of Wisconsin for postdoctoral studies with Professor Laura Kiessling. In 1997, he returned to the University of Tokyo to join Professor Masakatsu Shibasaki’s group as an assistant professor. After being a lecturer (2000-2003) and associate professor (2003-2010), he is now a professor at the University of Tokyo.
His research interests entail design and synthesis of functional (especially, biologically active) molecules.
Motomu’s favourite articles
When transition-metal catalysis meets electrosynthesis: a recent update
Fei Lian, Jiu-Ling Li & Kun Xu
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2024, 22, 4390-4419
“Electrochemistry-driven transition metal catalysis is a rapidly growing area today. Lian, Li and Xu review recent progress in this active field. This review specifically focuses on the first-row transition metal catalysis coupled with electrosynthesis, which offers benefits in terms of sustainability and foreshadows the future of green catalysis.”
Exploring the catalytic mechanism of the 10–23 DNAzyme: insights from pH–rate profiles
Virginia Parra-Meneses, Victoria Silva-Galleguillos & Marjorie Cepeda-Plaza
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2024, 22, 6833-6840
“A specific group of DNA molecules, known as DNAzymes, can catalyze chemical reactions, such as the hydrolytic cleavage of RNA. However, the detailed reaction mechanism of DNAzymes is not fully understood, which limits progress. In this paper, Parra-Meneses, Silva-Galleguillos and Cepeda-Plaza provide important insights into the catalytic strategies of RNA-cleaving DNAzymes. This discovery will aid in designing new DNAzymes with therapeutic applications, such as gene silencing.”
Yoshinosuke Usuki, Ryota Abe, Kazuki Nishiguchi, Tetsuya Satoh, Harumi Aono, Toshihiko Nogawa, Yushi Futamura, Hiroyuki Osada, Izumi Yoshida, Kazuhiro Fujita, Takashi Mishima & Ken-Ichi Fujita
Org. Biomol. Chem., 2024, 22, 8973-8979
“An antimalarial natural product, opantimycin A, features a unique structure that includes γ-butyrolactone and dehydro-2-aminobutyric acid motifs. Using the stereodivergent Mukaiyama aldol reaction and Staudinger ligation as key steps, Usuki and coworkers successfully synthesized opantimycin A and its various analogues, enabling the determination of the natural product’s absolute configuration. Some of these analogues exhibit significant biological activities. This study highlights a critical role of natural product synthesis.”
We hope you enjoyed reading these articles. Keep an eye out for more of our Editors’ favourite articles in the future.
