Molecular biology explores the tiny machinery inside living cells, revealing how genetic instructions are read, copied, and turned into the proteins that keep us alive. This field acts as a bridge between the static code of DNA and the dynamic processes that drive growth, disease, and life itself, offering insights into everything from cellular repair to the development of new medicines.

On Gist.Science, we track every new preprint uploaded to bioRxiv in this category to make these complex discoveries accessible to everyone. Our team processes each submission to provide both clear, plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries, ensuring you can grasp the core findings without getting lost in dense academic jargon.

Below are the latest molecular biology papers freshly processed from bioRxiv, ready for you to explore and understand.

📄 molecular biology

NaP-TRAP: A versatile and accessible workflow to dissect principles of translational regulation and mRNA stability

The paper introduces NaP-TRAP, a versatile and accessible reporter-based workflow that utilizes epitope-tagged nascent peptide immunoprecipitation to simultaneously and quantitatively dissect the contributions of cis-regulatory elements to mRNA translation and stability across diverse biological contexts.

Gupta, A., Struba, A. Z., Madhavan, S., Strayer, E., Beaudoin, J.-D.2026-04-13
📄 molecular biology

Multi-objective Engineering of Trimethylamine Monooxygenase for Improved Thermostability and Cofactor Use

This study employs a multi-objective engineering strategy to enhance the thermostability and cofactor flexibility of trimethylamine monooxygenase, successfully identifying variants with improved heat-resistant NADPH activity while revealing the persistent challenge of maintaining NADH function under thermal stress.

Xiang, R., Floor, M., Ree, R., Canellas-Sole, A., Puntervoll, P., Roda, S., Elin Kjaereng Bjerga, G., Guallar, V.2026-04-12
📄 molecular biology

Repurposed small molecule toxin inhibitors neutralise a diversity of venoms from the Neotropical viperid snake genus Bothrops

This study demonstrates that repurposed small-molecule inhibitors targeting metalloproteinases and phospholipases effectively neutralize a diverse range of venoms from the Neotropical *Bothrops* snake genus, suggesting their potential as valuable early interventions for snakebite treatment.

Clare, R. H., Westhorpe, A., Stars, E., Kazandjian, T. D., Albulescu, L.-O., Menzies, S. K., Casewell, N. R.2026-04-11
📄 molecular biology

Genetic Variability and Population Structure within the Anopheles tessellatus complex (Theobald, 1901) in Indonesia using ITS2 nuclear and COI, COII mitochondrial sequences

This study utilizes ITS2, COI, and COII molecular markers to reveal that the *Anopheles tessellatus* complex in Indonesia comprises three distinct genetic lineages across five islands with high haplotype diversity and potential speciation in specific populations, highlighting the need for further research to clarify its role in malaria transmission.

Nurwidayati, A., Purwanto, H., Astuti, R. R. U. N. W., Nugraheni, Y. R., Susanti, L., Srikandi, Y., Daryono, B. S. W., G (…)2026-04-10
📄 molecular biology

Impact of Fluorophore and Epitope Position on Destabilized Reporter Performance in C. elegans

This study reveals that the performance of destabilized fluorescent reporters in *C. elegans* is critically dependent on the specific combination of fluorophore and epitope tag, demonstrating that certain configurations (such as a 3xFLAG adjacent to a PEST sequence or the use of mStayGold) can severely compromise the ability to detect dynamic gene expression oscillations.

Jackson, A., Ragle, J. M., Ward, J. D.2026-04-10
📄 molecular biology

RAStoERK: a reference interaction atlas for insights into signaling and disease

This study presents RAStoERK, a comprehensive reference interaction atlas that maps the interactomes of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway components and their mutations to reveal paralog-specific roles, mutation-driven rewiring, and novel crosstalk with processes like mRNA metabolism and WNT signaling, thereby providing a foundational resource for understanding the pathway's integration into physiology and disease.

Vucak, G., Didusch, S., Cannizzaro, L., Santiago, A., Hartl, M., Menche, J., Baccarini, M.2026-04-09
📄 molecular biology

Disentangling mitochondrial copy number variation and PCR amplification bias in DNA metabarcoding

This study investigates the limitations of quantitative DNA metabarcoding by demonstrating that high variation in mitochondrial copy numbers and stable PCR amplification biases prevent accurate biomass estimation, ultimately revealing fundamental constraints and the need for new methodological approaches despite the development of a mathematical model to correct for these biases.

Wolany, L., Klinkenborg, K., Leese, F., Buchner, D.2026-04-09
📄 molecular biology

Signal, noise, and sampling: How pool size and replication shape metabolomic inference

This study demonstrates that in metabolomic analyses of small organisms, both pool size and biological replication are critical, interdependent factors that jointly determine the detectability and stability of biological signals, where insufficient pooling or replication leads to a loss of true metabolic effects without increasing false discoveries.

Hubert, D. L., Porter, D. L., Robinson, R. D., Mijares, M. E., Ahmadian, E., Arnold, K. R., Phillips, M. A.2026-04-09