Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41501555›Full record

ArticleNature chemistry2026

Biocompatible ligand balancing in transition metal coordination enables benign in-cell protein arylation.

Xiaping Fu, Weibing Liu, Yana Demyanenko, Wael Kamel, Ravi Teja Ravi, Vincenzo Ruscica, Marko Noerenberg, Xuejian Yin, Yi Jiang, Chi-Hang Fan and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Xiaping Fu *The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7386-3665
Weibing Liu *The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8161-4562
Yana DemyanenkoThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6628-1912
Wael KamelMRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
Ravi Teja RaviThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.
Vincenzo RuscicaMRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4082-1893
Marko NoerenbergMRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4834-8888
Xuejian YinThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0009-0006-4209-8255
Yi JiangThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.
Chi-Hang FanThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0009-0000-2248-6396
Katarzyna M KowalczykThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.
Eduardo KitanoThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5718-7510
James MorganDepartment of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Simon AldridgeDepartment of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9998-9434
Maud DumouxThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1732-1041
Alfredo CastelloMRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK.
Shabaz MohammedThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK. Shabaz.Mohammed@chem.ox.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-2640-9560
Benjamin G DavisThe Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK. Ben.Davis@rfi.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-5056-407X

Funding

EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council) 101001634RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) EP/V011 359/1, EP/T012 021/1, EP/X527 245/1RCUK | MRC | Medical Research Foundation MC_UU_00034/2Wellcome Trust (Wellcome) 220526/Z/20/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metal-mediated chemistries now find increasing application in in vitro biomolecule modification. However, the perceived and potential toxicity of some metals has limited the application of organometallic reagents in more complex biological settings such as inside living cells. Ligands play a crucial role in modulating both the reactivity and availability of transition metals. Here we reveal that organonickel-mediated S-arylation tolerates flexible chelation with biocompatible ligands without destroying the chemical reactivity of corresponding aryl-nickel reagents, enabling the creation of safe, site-selective C-S-bond-forming arylation manifolds. These balanced systems prove sufficiently benign for use on diverse protein substrates in vitro and in living prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. This, in turn, enables deep chemical surveys of reactive cysteines in human cells with sensitivity sufficient to detect covalently targetable proteins from emerging intracellular viral and bacterial pathogens. Biocompatible ligand balancing thus offers a path to the broader use of transition metals in living systems.

Indexed as

Biocompatible MaterialsCoordination ComplexesProteinsTransition ElementsCysteineHumansLigandsBiocompatible MaterialsCoordination ComplexesCysteineLigandsProteinsTransition Elements

Identifiers

PMID41501555
PMCPMC12962975

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.