A sugar-coated neighbourhood keeps a hard-working enzyme going when things heat up

An enzyme that helps our cells burn sugar stays active at high temperatures not because of how crowded its surroundings are, but because of the chemistry of its neighbours, a German research team reports. Sugar-like molecules nearby gently tune how the enzyme flexes and holds its ingredients — a clue to how living cells keep their metabolism running under stress, and a hint for designing hardier industrial enzymes.