Defining the mechanism of galectin-3-mediated TGF-ß1 activation and its role in lung fibrosis.

Integrin-mediated activation of the profibrotic mediator transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), plays a critical role in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) pathogenesis. Galectin-3 is believed to contribute to the pathological wound healing seen in IPF, although its mechanism of action is not precisely defined. We hypothesized that galectin-3 potentiates TGF-ß1 activation and/or signaling in the lung to promote fibrogenesis. We show that galectin-3 induces TGF-ß1 activation in human lung fibroblasts (HLFs) and specifically that extracellular galectin-3 promotes oleoyl-L-α-lysophosphatidic acid sodium salt-induced integrin-mediated TGF-ß1 activation. Surface plasmon resonance analysis confirmed that galectin-3 binds to αv integrins, αvß1, αvß5, and αvß6, and to the TGFßRII subunit in a glycosylation-dependent manner. This binding is heterogeneous and not a 1:1 binding stoichiometry. Binding interactions were blocked by small molecule inhibitors of galectin-3, which target the carbohydrate recognition domain. Galectin-3 binding to ß1 integrin was validated in vitro by coimmunoprecipitation in HLFs. Proximity ligation assays indicated that galectin-3 and ß1 integrin colocalize closely (≤40 nm) on the cell surface and that colocalization is increased by TGF-ß1 treatment and blocked by galectin-3 inhibitors. In the absence of TGF-ß1 stimulation, colocalization was detectable only in HLFs from IPF patients, suggesting the proteins are inherently more closely associated in the disease state. Galectin-3 inhibitor treatment of precision cut lung slices from IPF patients' reduced Col1a1, TIMP1, and hyaluronan secretion to a similar degree as TGF-ß type I receptor inhibitor. These data suggest that galectin-3 promotes TGF-ß1 signaling and may induce fibrogenesis by interacting directly with components of the TGF-ß1 signaling cascade.

The adaptability of the ion-binding site by the Ag(I)/Cu(I) periplasmic chaperone SilF.

The periplasmic chaperone SilF has been identified as part of an Ag(I) detoxification system in Gram-negative bacteria. Sil proteins also bind Cu(I) but with reported weaker affinity, therefore leading to the designation of a specific detoxification system for Ag(I). Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we show that binding of both ions is not only tighter than previously thought but of very similar affinities. We investigated the structural origins of ion binding using molecular dynamics and QM/MM simulations underpinned by structural and biophysical experiments. The results of this analysis showed that the binding site adapts to accommodate either ion, with key interactions with the solvent in the case of Cu(I). The implications of this are that Gram-negative bacteria do not appear to have evolved a specific Ag(I) efflux system but take advantage of the existing Cu(I) detoxification system. Therefore, there are consequences for how we define a particular metal resistance mechanism and understand its evolution in the environment.

Operando electron microscopy investigation of polar domain dynamics in twisted van der Waals homobilayers.

Conventional antiferroelectric materials with atomic-scale anti-aligned dipoles undergo a transition to a ferroelectric (FE) phase under strong electric fields. The moiré superlattice formed in the twisted stacks of van der Waals crystals exhibits polar domains alternating in moiré length with anti-aligned dipoles. In this moiré domain antiferroelectic (MDAF) arrangement, the distribution of electric dipoles is distinguished from that of two-dimensional FEs, suggesting dissimilar domain dynamics. Here we performed an operando transmission electron microscopy investigation on twisted bilayer WSe2 to observe the polar domain dynamics in real time. We find that the topological protection, provided by the domain wall network, prevents the MDAF-to-FE transition. As one decreases the twist angle, however, this transition occurs as the domain wall network disappears. Exploiting stroboscopic operando transmission electron microscopy on the FE phase, we measure a maximum domain wall velocity of 300 µm s-1. Domain wall pinnings by various disorders limit the domain wall velocity and cause Barkhausen noises in the polarization hysteresis loop. Atomic-scale analysis of the pinning disorders provides structural insight on how to improve the switching speed of van der Waals FEs.

A Low-Cost, High-Fidelity Simulator for Transabdominal Chorionic Villus Sampling.

INTRODUCTION: Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) remains essential for first-trimester genetic diagnosis, yet clinical volume may be insufficient to train new clinicians in the technique. Available simulation models are expensive, require animal parts or specialized resins, and cannot be stored for repeated use. METHODS: We present a model for trans-abdominal CVS (TA-CVS) which is constructed from readily available materials costing less than $10 and can be refrigerated and re-used to train maternal-fetal medicine fellows in CVS. RESULTS: All three attending physicians performing TA-CVS at our institution described the model as an accurate visual and tactile simulation, prompting its integration into our fellowship curriculum. To date, two senior fellows have achieved competency on the simulator and begun to perform clinical CVS under supervision, one of whom is an author on this paper. Both fellows and attendings indicated that the simulator provided a valuable tool for repeated practice prior to clinical CVS. Simulators are now maintained on the unit and have been re-used for 3 months and dozens of simulated procedures each without any apparent qualitative degradation in performance. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: We describe a low-cost easily constructed, durable, high-fidelity simulator for TA-CVS.

Prenatal Neurosurgical Counseling for Myelomeningocele and Treatment-Determining Factors for Fetal Repair.

INTRODUCTION: Spina bifida guidelines recommend neurosurgical involvement in prenatal counseling to inform decision-making between prenatal and postnatal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair. This study examines whether families with MMC presenting to one fetal center had timely neurosurgical prenatal counseling (nPNC) encounters and assesses modifiable and non-modifiable treatment-determining factors. METHODS: History and timing of nPNC were quantified among infants undergoing postnatal and prenatal MMC repair, pregnant patients referred, and MMC studies in a fetal MRI database (2015-2023). Fetal repair exclusions, presentation timing, social determinants, and reported rationale for not selecting offered fetal therapy were assessed. RESULTS: Nearly all patients (34/35; 97%) engaged in nPNC, 82% prior to 24 weeks GA. Fourteen patients were excluded from fetal repair for lack of hindbrain herniation (43%), obstetric exclusions (21%), fetal exclusions (21%), suspected closed defect (7%), and delayed presentation (7%). These patients ultimately underwent postnatal repair (71%), and pregnancy termination (14%). The 20 fetal-repair-eligible patients selected fetal repair (50%), postnatal repair (45%), and pregnancy termination (5%). Reasons for declining fetal repair included risk (55%) and cost (22%). CONCLUSIONS: Among MMC families presenting to a regional fetal therapy center, nPNC was widely extended, in a mostly timely fashion. Very few were deterred from fetal repair by potentially modifiable barriers.

Strain fields in twisted bilayer graphene.

Van der Waals heteroepitaxy allows deterministic control over lattice mismatch or azimuthal orientation between atomic layers to produce long-wavelength superlattices. The resulting electronic phases depend critically on the superlattice periodicity and localized structural deformations that introduce disorder and strain. In this study we used Bragg interferometry to capture atomic displacement fields in twisted bilayer graphene with twist angles <2°. Nanoscale spatial fluctuations in twist angle and uniaxial heterostrain were statistically evaluated, revealing the prevalence of short-range disorder in moiré heterostructures. By quantitatively mapping strain tensor fields, we uncovered two regimes of structural relaxation and disentangled the electronic contributions of constituent rotation modes. Further, we found that applied heterostrain accumulates anisotropically in saddle-point regions, generating distinctive striped strain phases. Our results establish the reconstruction mechanics underpinning the twist-angle-dependent electronic behaviour of twisted bilayer graphene and provide a framework for directly visualizing structural relaxation, disorder and strain in moiré materials.

Structure-based development of new RAS-effector inhibitors from a combination of active and inactive RAS-binding compounds.

The RAS gene family is frequently mutated in human cancers, and the quest for compounds that bind to mutant RAS remains a major goal, as it also does for inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. We have refined crystallization conditions for KRAS169Q61H-yielding crystals suitable for soaking with compounds and exploited this to assess new RAS-binding compounds selected by screening a protein-protein interaction-focused compound library using surface plasmon resonance. Two compounds, referred to as PPIN-1 and PPIN-2, with related structures from 30 initial RAS binders showed binding to a pocket where compounds had been previously developed, including RAS effector protein-protein interaction inhibitors selected using an intracellular antibody fragment (called Abd compounds). Unlike the Abd series of RAS binders, PPIN-1 and PPIN-2 compounds were not competed by the inhibitory anti-RAS intracellular antibody fragment and did not show any RAS-effector inhibition properties. By fusing the common, anchoring part from the two new compounds with the inhibitory substituents of the Abd series, we have created a set of compounds that inhibit RAS-effector interactions with increased potency. These fused compounds add to the growing catalog of RAS protein-protein inhibitors and show that building a chemical series by crossing over two chemical series is a strategy to create RAS-binding small molecules.

Correlated Insulating States and Transport Signature of Superconductivity in Twisted Trilayer Graphene Superlattices.

Layers of two-dimensional materials stacked with a small twist angle give rise to beating periodic patterns on a scale much larger than the original lattice, referred to as a "moiré superlattice." Here, we demonstrate a higher-order "moiré of moiré" superlattice in twisted trilayer graphene with two consecutive small twist angles. We report correlated insulating states near the half filling of the moiré of moiré superlattice at an extremely low carrier density (∼10^{10} cm^{-2}), near which we also report a zero-resistance transport behavior typically expected in a 2D superconductor. The full-occupancy (ν=-4 and ν=4) states are semimetallic and gapless, distinct from the twisted bilayer systems.

Ultraheavy and Ultrarelativistic Dirac Quasiparticles in Sandwiched Graphenes.

Electrons in quantum materials exhibiting coexistence of dispersionless (flat) bands piercing dispersive (steep) bands give rise to strongly correlated phenomena and are associated with unconventional superconductivity. We show that in twisted sandwiched graphene (TSWG)-a three-layer van der Waals heterostructure with a twisted middle layer-steep Dirac cones can coexist with dramatic band flattening at the same energy scale, if twisted by 1.5°. This phenomenon is not stable in the simplified continuum models. The key result of this Letter is that the flat bands become stable only as a consequence of lattice relaxation processes included in our atomistic calculations. Further on, external fields can change the relative energy offset between the Dirac cone vertex and the flat bands and enhance band hybridization, which could permit controlling correlated phases. Our work establishes twisted sandwiched graphene as a new platform for research into strongly interacting two-dimensional quantum matter.

Aerobic Photocatalytic H2 Production by a [NiFe] Hydrogenase Engineered to Place a Silver Nanocluster in the Electron Relay.

Hydrogenase-1 (Hyd-1) from E. coli poses a conundrum regarding the properties of electrocatalytic reversibility and associated bidirectionality now established for many redox enzymes. Its excellent H2-oxidizing activity begins only once a substantial overpotential is applied, and it cannot produce H2. A major reason for its unidirectional behavior is that the reduction potentials of its electron-relaying FeS clusters are too positive relative to the 2H+/H2 couple at neutral pH; consequently, electrons held within the enzyme lack the energy to drive H2 production. However, Hyd-1 is O2-tolerant and even functions in air. Changing a tyrosine (Y) or threonine (T), located on the protein surface within 10 Å of the distal [4Fe-4S] and medial [3Fe-4S] clusters, to cysteine (C), allows site-selective attachment of a silver nanocluster (AgNC), the reduced or photoexcited state of which is a powerful reductant. The AgNC provides a new additional redox site, capturing externally supplied electrons with sufficiently high energy to drive H2 production. Assemblies of Y'227C (or T'225C) with AgNCs/PMAA (PMAA = polymethyl acrylate templating several AgNC) are also electroactive for H2 production at a TiO2 electrode. A colloidal system for visible-light photo-H2 generation is made by building the hybrid enzyme into a heterostructure with TiO2 and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), the resulting scaffold promoting uptake of electrons excited at the AgNC. Each hydrogenase produces 40 molecules of H2 per second and sustains 20% activity in air.

Atomic and electronic reconstruction at the van der Waals interface in twisted bilayer graphene.

Control of the interlayer twist angle in two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures enables one to engineer a quasiperiodic moiré superlattice of tunable length scale1-8. In twisted bilayer graphene, the simple moiré superlattice band description suggests that the electronic bandwidth can be tuned to be comparable to the vdW interlayer interaction at a 'magic angle'9, exhibiting strongly correlated behaviour. However, the vdW interlayer interaction can also cause significant structural reconstruction at the interface by favouring interlayer commensurability, which competes with the intralayer lattice distortion10-16. Here we report atomic-scale reconstruction in twisted bilayer graphene and its effect on the electronic structure. We find a gradual transition from an incommensurate moiré structure to an array of commensurate domains with soliton boundaries as we decrease the twist angle across the characteristic crossover angle, θc ≈ 1°. In the solitonic regime (θ < θc) where the atomic and electronic reconstruction become significant, a simple moiré band description breaks down and the secondary Dirac bands appear. On applying a transverse electric field, we observe electronic transport along the network of one-dimensional topological channels that surround the alternating triangular gapped domains. Atomic and electronic reconstruction at the vdW interface provide a new pathway to engineer the system with continuous tunability.

Twisted Trilayer Graphene: A Precisely Tunable Platform for Correlated Electrons.

We introduce twisted trilayer graphene (tTLG) with two independent twist angles as an ideal system for the precise tuning of the electronic interlayer coupling to maximize the effect of correlated behaviors. As established by experiment and theory in the related twisted bilayer graphene system, van Hove singularities (VHS) in the density of states can be used as a proxy of the tendency for correlated behaviors. To explore the evolution of VHS in the twist-angle phase space of tTLG, we present a general low-energy electronic structure model for any pair of twist angles. We show that the basis of the model has infinite dimensions even at a finite energy cutoff and that no Brillouin zone exists even in the continuum limit. Using this model, we demonstrate that the tTLG system exhibits a wide range of magic angles at which VHS merge and that the density of states has a sharp peak at the charge-neutrality point through two distinct mechanisms: the incommensurate perturbation of twisted bilayer graphene's flatbands or the equal hybridization between two bilayer moiré superlattices.

LAN: A Materials Notation for Two-Dimensional Layered Assemblies.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials offer intriguing possibilities for novel physics and applications. Before any attempt at exploring the materials space in a systematic fashion, or combining insights from theory, computation, and experiment, a formal description of information about an assembly of arbitrary composition is required. Here, we introduce a domain-generic notation that is used to describe the space of 2D layered materials from monolayers to twisted assemblies of arbitrary composition, existent or not yet fabricated. The notation corresponds to a theoretical materials concept of stepwise assembly of layered structures using a sequence of rotation, vertical stacking, and other operations on individual 2D layers. Its scope is demonstrated with a number of example structures using common single-layer materials as building blocks. This work overall aims to contribute to the systematic codification, capture, and transfer of materials knowledge in the area of 2D layered materials.

An Open Fetal Myelomeningocele Repair With Incorporation of a Skin Allograft.

BACKGROUND: Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the most frequent congenital abnormality of the central nervous system that leads to significant physical disabilities. Historically, treatment involved postnatal repair with management of the hydrocephalus with ventricular shunting. Animal and early human studies demonstrated the feasibility of fetal closure. The benefit of in-utero closure was debated until the results of the prospective randomized multicenter Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS trial) were published, demonstrating a decreased need for shunting, reversal of hindbrain herniation, and better neurologic function in the prenatal repair group compared to postnatal repair. Fetal MMC closure has become a standard of care option for prenatally diagnosed spina bifida. The size of the spinal defect may require modification of the classic surgical technique requiring patching. CASE: This report describes a case of open fetal myelomeningocele repair, which required incorporation of a skin allograft. CONCLUSION: Large myelomeningocele defects may be successfully repaired with utilization of a skin allograft.

Minimizing Individual Learning Curves in a Mature Endoscopic Fetal Surgery Program.

INTRODUCTION: Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome affects monochorionic twin pregnancies and can result in fetal death. Endoscopic laser treatment remains a relatively infrequent procedure for this condition. This presents difficulties for maintaining proficiency and for training new personnel. OBJECTIVE: The dual mentoring program at our institution allows for continuous mentoring of new providers. We hypothesize that this approach stabilizes program proficiency despite the addition of new practitioners. METHODS: Query of the fetal treatment program database returned 146 cases of laser ablation between 2000 and 2019. Patient and pregnancy characteristics as well as operative time and outcomes were recorded. The learning curve-cumulative summation method and rolling averages were used to analyze outcomes. RESULTS: Overall survival was 69%, and survival of at least 1 twin was 89%. Mean operative time was 53.6 ± 20.9 min. Overall twin survival stabilized after the first 40 cases. Rolling averages for operative time decreased from 71 to 49 min for the most recent cases. These results were not affected by the introduction of new surgeons. CONCLUSIONS: Creative mentoring can maintain stable overall program outcomes despite changes in team composition. This training approach may be applicable to other rare procedures in fetal surgery.

The structure of hydrogenase-2 from Escherichia coli: implications for H2-driven proton pumping.

Under anaerobic conditions, Escherichia coli is able to metabolize molecular hydrogen via the action of several [NiFe]-hydrogenase enzymes. Hydrogenase-2, which is typically present in cells at low levels during anaerobic respiration, is a periplasmic-facing membrane-bound complex that functions as a proton pump to convert energy from hydrogen (H2) oxidation into a proton gradient; consequently, its structure is of great interest. Empirically, the complex consists of a tightly bound core catalytic module, comprising large (HybC) and small (HybO) subunits, which is attached to an Fe-S protein (HybA) and an integral membrane protein (HybB). To date, efforts to gain a more detailed picture have been thwarted by low native expression levels of Hydrogenase-2 and the labile interaction between HybOC and HybA/HybB subunits. In the present paper, we describe a new overexpression system that has facilitated the determination of high-resolution crystal structures of HybOC and, hence, a prediction of the quaternary structure of the HybOCAB complex.

Mechanistic Exploitation of a Self-Repairing, Blocked Proton Transfer Pathway in an O2-Tolerant [NiFe]-Hydrogenase.

Catalytic long-range proton transfer in [NiFe]-hydrogenases has long been associated with a highly conserved glutamate (E) situated within 4 Å of the active site. Substituting for glutamine (Q) in the O2-tolerant [NiFe]-hydrogenase-1 from Escherichia coli produces a variant (E28Q) with unique properties that have been investigated using protein film electrochemistry, protein film infrared electrochemistry, and X-ray crystallography. At pH 7 and moderate potential, E28Q displays approximately 1% of the activity of the native enzyme, high enough to allow detailed infrared measurements under steady-state conditions. Atomic-level crystal structures reveal partial displacement of the amide side chain by a hydroxide ion, the occupancy of which increases with pH or under oxidizing conditions supporting formation of the superoxidized state of the unusual proximal [4Fe-3S] cluster located nearby. Under these special conditions, the essential exit pathway for at least one of the H+ ions produced by H2 oxidation, and assumed to be blocked in the E28Q variant, is partially repaired. During steady-state H2 oxidation at neutral pH (i.e., when the barrier to H+ exit via Q28 is almost totally closed), the catalytic cycle is dominated by the reduced states "Nia-R" and "Nia-C", even under highly oxidizing conditions. Hence, E28 is not involved in the initial activation/deprotonation of H2, but facilitates H+ exit later in the catalytic cycle to regenerate the initial oxidized active state, assumed to be Nia-SI. Accordingly, the oxidized inactive resting state, "Ni-B", is not produced by E28Q in the presence of H2 at high potential because Nia-SI (the precursor for Ni-B) cannot accumulate. The results have important implications for understanding the catalytic mechanism of [NiFe]-hydrogenases and the control of long-range proton-coupled electron transfer in hydrogenases and other enzymes.

Mechanism of hydrogen activation by [NiFe] hydrogenases.

The active site of [NiFe] hydrogenases contains a strictly conserved arginine that suspends a guanidine nitrogen atom <4.5 Å above the nickel and iron atoms. The guanidine headgroup interacts with the side chains of two conserved aspartic acid residues to complete an outer-shell canopy that has thus far proved intractable to investigation by site-directed mutagenesis. Using hydrogenase-1 from Escherichia coli, the strictly conserved residues R509 and D574 have been replaced by lysine (R509K) and asparagine (D574N) and the highly conserved D118 has been replaced by alanine (D118A) or asparagine (D118N/D574N). Each enzyme variant is stable, and their [(RS)2Niµ(SR)2Fe(CO)(CN)2] inner coordination shells are virtually unchanged. The R509K variant had >100-fold lower activity than native enzyme. Conversely, the variants D574N, D118A and D118N/D574N, in which the position of the guanidine headgroup is retained, showed 83%, 26% and 20% activity, respectively. The special kinetic requirement for R509 implicates the suspended guanidine group as the general base in H2 activation by [NiFe] hydrogenases.

Structures of replication initiation proteins from staphylococcal antibiotic resistance plasmids reveal protein asymmetry and flexibility are necessary for replication.

Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria is a continual threat to human health, often residing in extrachromosomal plasmid DNA. Plasmids of the pT181 family are widespread and confer various antibiotic resistances to Staphylococcus aureus. They replicate via a rolling circle mechanism that requires a multi-functional, plasmid-encoded replication protein to initiate replication, recruit a helicase to the site of initiation and terminate replication after DNA synthesis is complete. We present the first atomic resolution structures of three such replication proteins that reveal distinct, functionally relevant conformations. The proteins possess a unique active site and have been shown to contain a catalytically essential metal ion that is bound in a manner distinct from that of any other rolling circle replication proteins. These structures are the first examples of the Rep_trans Pfam family providing insights into the replication of numerous antibiotic resistance plasmids from Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative phage and the mobilisation of DNA by conjugative transposons.