Oxygen-Terminated Polycrystalline Boron-Doped Diamond Superhydrophobic Surface with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Stabilities.

Superhydrophobic surfaces are of great interest because of their remarkable properties. Due to its maximal hardness and chemical inertness, diamond film has great potential in fabricating robust superhydrophobic surfaces. In the present study, an oxygen-terminated polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (O-PBDD) superhydrophobic surface with micro/nano-hierarchical porous structures is developed. The preparation method is very simple, requiring only sputtering and dewetting procedures. The former involves sputtering gold and copper particles onto the hydrogen-terminated polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (H-PBDD) to form gold/copper films, whereas the latter involves placing the samples in an atmospheric tube furnace to form hierarchical pores. By controlling the etching parameters, the wettability of the O-PBDD surface can be adjusted from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic, which is significantly different to the normal hydrophilicity feature of O-termination diamonds. The water contact angle of the obtained O-PBDD surface can reach 165 ± 5°, which is higher than the superhydrophobic diamond surfaces that are reported in the literature. In addition, the O-PBDD surface exhibits excellent durability; it can maintain satisfactory superhydrophobicity even after high-pressure, high-temperature, and sandpaper friction tests. This work provides a new research direction for fabricating robust superhydrophobic materials with diamond film.

Pygo-F773W Mutation Reveals Novel Functions beyond Wnt Signaling in Drosophila.

Pygopus (Pygo) has been identified as a specific nuclear co-activator of the canonical Wingless (Wg)/Wnt signaling pathway in Drosophila melanogaster. Pygo proteins consist of two conserved domains: an N-terminal homologous domain (NHD) and a C-terminal plant homologous domain (PHD). The PHD's ability to bind to di- and trimethylated lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me2/3) appears to be independent of Wnt signaling. There is ongoing debate regarding the significance of Pygo's histone-binding capacity. Drosophila Pygo orthologs have a tryptophan (W) > phenylalanine (F) substitution in their histone pocket-divider compared to vertebrates, leading to reduced histone affinity. In this research, we utilized CRISPR/Cas9 technology to introduce the Pygo-F773W point mutation in Drosophila, successfully establishing a viable homozygous Pygo mutant line for the first time. Adult mutant flies displayed noticeable abnormalities in reproduction, locomotion, heart function, and lifespan. RNA-seq and cluster analysis indicated that the mutation primarily affected pathways related to immunity, metabolism, and posttranslational modification in adult flies rather than the Wnt signaling pathway. Additionally, a reduction in H3K9 acetylation levels during the embryonic stage was observed in the mutant strains. These findings support the notion that Pygo plays a wider role in chromatin remodeling, with its involvement in Wnt signaling representing only a specific aspect of its chromatin-related functions.

Novel biphasic mechanism of the canonical Wnt signalling component PYGO2 promotes cardiomyocyte differentiation from hUC-MSCs.

Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) are used to regenerate the myocardium during cardiac repair after myocardial infarction. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying their ability to form mesodermal cells and differentiate into cardiomyocytes remains unclear. Here, we established a human-derived MSCs line isolated from healthy umbilical cords and established a cell model of the natural state to examine the differentiation of hUC-MSCs into cardiomyocytes. Quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, RNA Seq, and inhibitors of canonical Wnt signalling were used to detect the germ-layer markers T and MIXL1; the markers of cardiac progenitor cells MESP1, GATA4, and NKX2.5 and the cardiomyocyte-marker cTnT to identify the molecular mechanism associated with PYGO2, a key component of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway that regulates the formation of cardiomyocyte-like cells. We demonstrated that PYGO2 promotes the formation of mesodermal-like cells and their differentiation into cardiomyocytes through the hUC-MSC-dependent canonical Wnt signalling by promoting the early-stage entry of ß-catenin into the nucleus. Surprisingly, PYGO2 did not alter the expression of the canonical-Wnt, NOTCH, or BMP signalling pathways during the middle-late stages. In contrast, PI3K-Akt signalling promoted hUC-MSCs formation and their differentiation into cardiomyocyte-like cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that PYGO2 uses a biphasic mechanism to promote cardiomyocyte formation from hUC-MSCs.

Disorder-Enriched Magnetic Excitations in a Heisenberg-Kitaev Quantum Magnet Na_{2}Co_{2}TeO_{6}.

Using optical magnetospectroscopy, we investigate the magnetic excitations of Na_{2}Co_{2}TeO_{6} in a broad magnetic field range (0 T≤B≤17.5 T) at low temperature. Our measurements reveal rich spectra of in-plane magnetic excitations with a surprisingly large number of modes, even in the high-field spin-polarized state. Theoretical calculations find that the Na-occupation disorder in Na_{2}Co_{2}TeO_{6} plays a crucial role in generating these modes. Our Letter demonstrates the necessity to consider disorder in the spin environment in the search for Kitaev quantum spin liquid states in practicable materials.

The gp130/STAT3-endoplasmic reticulum stress axis regulates hepatocyte necroptosis in acute liver injury.

AIM: To investigate the effect of the gp130/STAT3-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress axis on hepatocyte necroptosis during acute liver injury. METHODS: ER stress and liver injury in LO2 cells were induced with thapsigargin, and in BALB/c mice with tunicamycin and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Glycoprotein 130 (gp130) expression, the degrees of ER stress, and hepatocyte necroptosis were assessed. RESULTS: ER stress significantly upregulated gp130 expression in LO2 cells and mouse livers. The silencing of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), but not of ATF4, increased hepatocyte necroptosis and mitigated gp130 expression in LO2 cells and mice. Gp130 silencing reduced the phosphorylation of CCl4-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and aggravated ER stress, necroptosis, and liver injury in mice. CONCLUSION: ATF6/gp130/STAT3 signaling attenuates necroptosis in hepatocytes through the negative regulation of ER stress during liver injury. Hepatocyte ATF6/gp130/STAT3 signaling may be used as a therapeutic target in acute liver injury.

asb5a/asb5b Double Knockout Affects Zebrafish Cardiac Contractile Function.

Ankyrin repeat and suppression-of-cytokine-signaling box (Asb) proteins, a subset of ubiquitin ligase E3, include Asb5 with six ankyrin-repeat domains. Zebrafish harbor two asb5 gene isoforms, asb5a and asb5b. Currently, the effects of asb5 gene inactivation on zebrafish embryonic development and heart function are unknown. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated asb5a-knockout zebrafish, revealing no abnormal phenotypes at 48 h post-fertilization (hpf). In situ hybridization showed similar asb5a and asb5b expression patterns, indicating the functional redundancy of these isoforms. Morpholino interference was used to target asb5b in wild-type and asb5a-knockout zebrafish. Knocking down asb5b in the wild-type had no phenotypic impact, but simultaneous asb5b knockdown in asb5a-knockout homozygotes led to severe pericardial cavity enlargement and atrial dilation. RNA-seq and cluster analyses identified significantly enriched cardiac muscle contraction genes in the double-knockout at 48 hpf. Moreover, semi-automatic heartbeat analysis demonstrated significant changes in various heart function indicators. STRING database/Cytoscape analyses confirmed that 11 cardiac-contraction-related hub genes exhibited disrupted expression, with three modules containing these genes potentially regulating cardiac contractile function through calcium ion channels. This study reveals functional redundancy in asb5a and asb5b, with simultaneous knockout significantly impacting zebrafish early heart development and contraction, providing key insights into asb5's mechanism.

Tanshinone I restrains osteosarcoma progression by regulating circ_0000376/miR-432-5p/BCL2 axis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified as important regulators in cancer progression. Nevertheless, little is known about the biological function of circ_0000376 in the progression of osteosarcoma (OS). Cell viability, colony formation ability, apoptosis, and motility were analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assays. Cellular glycolytic metabolism was analyzed using commercial kits. RT-qPCR and Western blot assay were performed to analyze RNA and protein expression in OS tissues and cells. Starbase software was used to establish circRNA-microRNA (miRNA)-messenger RNA linkage, and intermolecular interaction was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Xenograft tumor assay was conducted to analyze the effects of Tanshinone I (Tan I) and circ_0000376 on xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Tan I treatment suppressed the viability, migration, invasion, and glycolysis and triggered the apoptosis of OS cells. Tan I treatment markedly down-regulated circ_0000376 expression in OS cells. The addition of circ_0000376 plasmid largely rescued the malignant behaviors of OS cells upon Tan I exposure. Circ_0000376 interacted with miR-432-5p in OS cells. Circ_0000376 overexpression-mediated protective effects in Tan I-induced OS cells were partly attenuated by the accumulation of miR-432-5p. miR-432-5p bound to the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (BCL2) in OS cells. miR-432-5p interference-induced effects in Tan I-treated OS cells were partly overturned by the silence of BCL2. Circ_0000376 can act as miR-432-5p sponge to up-regulate BCL2 expression in OS cells. Circ_0000376 silencing contributed to the anti-tumor effect of Tan I on the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo. Tan I exerted an anti-tumor role in OS progression by targeting circ_0000376/miR-432-5p/BCL2 axis.

Noninvasive imaging of tumor progression, metastasis, and fibrosis using a nanobody targeting the extracellular matrix.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition is a hallmark of many diseases, including cancer and fibroses. To exploit the ECM as an imaging and therapeutic target, we developed alpaca-derived libraries of "nanobodies" against disease-associated ECM proteins. We describe here one such nanobody, NJB2, specific for an alternatively spliced domain of fibronectin expressed in disease ECM and neovasculature. We showed by noninvasive in vivo immuno-PET/CT imaging that NJB2 detects primary tumors and metastatic sites with excellent specificity in multiple models of breast cancer, including human and mouse triple-negative breast cancer, and in melanoma. We also imaged mice with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in which NJB2 was able to detect not only PDAC tumors but also early pancreatic lesions called pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias, which are challenging to detect by any current imaging modalities, with excellent clarity and signal-to-noise ratios that outperformed conventional 2-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT imaging. NJB2 also detected pulmonary fibrosis in a bleomycin-induced fibrosis model. We propose NJB2 and similar anti-ECM nanobodies as powerful tools for noninvasive detection of tumors, metastatic lesions, and fibroses. Furthermore, the selective recognition of disease tissues makes NJB2 a promising candidate for nanobody-based therapeutic applications.

Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via a ß-catenin-dependent mechanism.

Wnt/ß-catenin signaling plays a key role in pathological cardiac remodeling in adults. The identification of a tissue-specific Wnt/ß-catenin interaction factor may provide a tissue-specific clinical targeting strategy. Drosophila Pygo encodes the core interaction factor of Wnt/ß-catenin. Two Pygo homologs (Pygo1 and Pygo2) have been identified in mammals. Different from the ubiquitous expression profile of Pygo2, Pygo1 is enriched in cardiac tissue. However, the role of Pygo1 in mammalian cardiac disease is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we found that Pygo1 was upregulated in human cardiac tissues with pathological hypertrophy. Cardiac-specific overexpression of Pygo1 in mice spontaneously led to cardiac hypertrophy accompanied by declined cardiac function, increased heart weight/body weight and heart weight/tibial length ratios, and increased cell size. The canonical ß-catenin/T-cell transcription factor 4 (TCF4) complex was abundant in Pygo1-overexpressing transgenic (Pygo1-TG) cardiac tissue, and the downstream genes of Wnt signaling, that is, Axin2, Ephb3, and c-Myc, were upregulated. A tail vein injection of ß-catenin inhibitor effectively rescued the phenotype of cardiac failure and pathological myocardial remodeling in Pygo1-TG mice. Furthermore, in vivo downregulated pygo1 during cardiac hypertrophic condition antagonized agonist-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Therefore, our study is the first to present in vivo evidence demonstrating that Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in a canonical Wnt/ß-catenin-dependent manner, which may provide new clues for tissue-specific clinical treatment via targeting this pathway.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we found that Pygo1 is associated with human pathological hypertrophy. Cardiac-specific overexpression of Pygo1 in mice spontaneously led to cardiac hypertrophy. Meanwhile, cardiac function was improved when expression of Pygo1 was interfered in hypertrophy-model mice. Our study is the first to present in vivo evidence demonstrating that Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in a canonical Wnt/ß-catenin-dependent manner, which may provide new clues for a tissue-specific clinical treatment targeting this pathway.

A Fluorogenic and Chromogenic Probe Distinguishes Fluoride Anions and Thiols: Implications for Discrimination of Fluoride-Containing G Series and Sulfur-Containing V Series Nerve Agents.

A coumarin-based probe, FP2, was designed for the differential detection of fluoride anions and thiols, i.e., the corresponding nucleophilic substitution products from fluorine-containing G agents and sulfur-containing V agents, thus having the potential to discriminate between these two nerve agents. FP2 with two functional reaction groups, α, ß-unsaturated ketone and silyl groups, can react selectively with fluoride anions and thiols at the µM level respectively. Intriguingly, in the THF solution, FP2 reacts with the fluoride anion but not with the thiol, whereas in the EtOH/HEPES solution, FP2 reacts with the thiol but not with the fluoride anion. As a result, FP2 can produce different fluorophores in the two detection solutions, thus displaying significant fluorescence changes. In addition, the FP2 detection system can show a significant color change from colorless to yellow within seconds when detecting fluoride anions in THF detection solutions, and from yellow to light blue when detecting thiols in EtOH/HEPES solutions, which will facilitate visual detection by emergency responders at the scene of an incident involving a nerve agent.

Electron-Hole Asymmetry of Surface States in Topological Insulator Sb2Te3 Thin Films Revealed by Magneto-Infrared Spectroscopy.

When surface states (SSs) form in topological insulators (TIs), they inherit the properties of bulk bands, including the electron-hole (e-h) asymmetry but with much more profound impacts. Here via combining magneto-infrared spectroscopy with theoretical analysis, we show that e-h asymmetry significantly modifies the SS electronic structures when interplaying with the quantum confinement effect. Compared with the case without e-h asymmetry, the SSs now bear not only a band asymmetry, such as that in the bulk, but also a shift of the Dirac point relative to the bulk bands and a reduction of the hybridization gap of up to 70%. Our results signify the importance of e-h asymmetry in the band engineering of TIs in the thin-film limit.

SRC tyrosine kinase activates the YAP/TAZ axis and thereby drives tumor growth and metastasis.

When properly employed, targeted therapies are effective cancer treatments. However, the development of such therapies requires the identification of targetable drivers of cancer development and metastasis. The expression and nuclear localization of the transcriptional coactivators Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are increased in many human cancers, and experimental evidence indicates that aberrant YAP or TAZ activation drives tumor formation and metastasis. Although these findings make YAP and TAZ appealing therapeutic targets, both have important functions in adult tissues, so directly targeting them could cause adverse effects. The identification of pathways active in cancer cells and required for YAP/TAZ activity could provide a way to inhibit YAP and TAZ. Here, we show that SRC proto-oncogene, nonreceptor tyrosine kinase (SRC) is an important driver of YAP/TAZ activity in human breast cancer and melanoma cells. SRC activation increased YAP/TAZ activity and the expression of YAP/TAZ-regulated genes. In contrast, SRC inhibition or knockdown repressed both YAP/TAZ activity and the expression of YAP/TAZ-regulated genes. We also show that SRC increases the activity of YAP and TAZ by repressing large tumor suppressor homolog (LATS), and we identify the GTPase-activating protein GIT ArfGAP 1 (GIT1) as an SRC effector that regulates both YAP and TAZ. Importantly, we demonstrate that SRC-mediated YAP/TAZ activity promotes tumor growth and enhances metastasis and that SRC-dependent tumor progression depends, at least in part, on YAP and TAZ. Our findings suggest that therapies targeting SRC could help manage some YAP/TAZ-dependent cancers.

Ground fused silica processed by combined chemical etching and CO2 laser polishing with super-smooth surface and high damage resistance.

Laser damage in fused silica, particularly ultraviolet laser damage, is still a key problem limiting the development of high-power laser systems. In this Letter, a combined process of chemical etching and CO2 laser polishing was applied to ground fused silica. A super-smooth surface with a root-mean-square roughness of 0.25 nm was achieved through this combined process. Furthermore, the combined process can reduce the introduction of photoactive metal impurity elements, destructive defects, and chemical-structure defects, resulting in a 0% probability damage threshold nearly 33% higher than a conventional chemical mechanical polished sample for a 7.6 ns pulse at a wavelength of 355 nm.

Exceptional ballistic transport in epitaxial graphene nanoribbons.

Graphene nanoribbons will be essential components in future graphene nanoelectronics. However, in typical nanoribbons produced from lithographically patterned exfoliated graphene, the charge carriers travel only about ten nanometres between scattering events, resulting in minimum sheet resistances of about one kilohm per square. Here we show that 40-nanometre-wide graphene nanoribbons epitaxially grown on silicon carbide are single-channel room-temperature ballistic conductors on a length scale greater than ten micrometres, which is similar to the performance of metallic carbon nanotubes. This is equivalent to sheet resistances below 1 ohm per square, surpassing theoretical predictions for perfect graphene by at least an order of magnitude. In neutral graphene ribbons, we show that transport is dominated by two modes. One is ballistic and temperature independent; the other is thermally activated. Transport is protected from back-scattering, possibly reflecting ground-state properties of neutral graphene. At room temperature, the resistance of both modes is found to increase abruptly at a particular length--the ballistic mode at 16 micrometres and the other at 160 nanometres. Our epitaxial graphene nanoribbons will be important not only in fundamental science, but also--because they can be readily produced in thousands--in advanced nanoelectronics, which can make use of their room-temperature ballistic transport properties.

Valley and Zeeman Splittings in Multilayer Epitaxial Graphene Revealed by Circular Polarization Resolved Magneto-infrared Spectroscopy.

Circular-polarization-resolved magneto-infrared studies of multilayer epitaxial graphene (MEG) are performed using tunable quantum cascade lasers in high magnetic fields up to 17.5 T. Landau level (LL) transitions in the monolayer and bilayer graphene inclusions of MEG are resolved, and considerable electron-hole asymmetry is observed in the extracted electronic band structure. For monolayer graphene, a four-fold splitting of the n = 0 to n = 1 LL transition is evidenced and attributed to the lifting of the valley and spin degeneracy of the zeroth LL and the broken electron-hole symmetry. The magnetic field dependence of the splitting further reveals its possible mechanisms. The best fit to experimental data yields effective g-factors, gVS* = 6.7 and gZS* = 4.8, for the valley and Zeeman splittings, respectively.

Potent neutralization activity against type O foot-and-mouth disease virus elicited by a conserved type O neutralizing epitope displayed on bovine parvovirus virus-like particles.

In this study, ten sites on the N terminus and different surface variable regions (VRs) of the bovine parvovirus (BPV) VP2 capsid protein were selected according to an alignment of its sequence with that of the BPV-1 strain HADEN for insertion of the type O foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) conserved neutralizing epitope 8E8. Ten epitope-chimeric BPV VP2 capsid proteins carrying the 8E8 epitope were expressed in Sf9 cells, and electron micrographs demonstrated that these fusion proteins self-assembled into virus-like particles (VLPs) with properties similar to those of natural BPV virions. Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and Western blot analysis demonstrated that each of the ten epitope-chimeric VLPs reacted with both anti-BPV serum and anti-type O FMDV mAb 8E8. These results indicated that insertions of the 8E8 epitope at these sites on the BPV VP2 protein did not interfere with the immunoreactivity of VP2 or VLP formation, and that the exogenous epitope 8E8 was correctly expressed in BPV VLPs. In addition, anti-BPV IgG antibodies were induced in mice by intramuscular inoculation with each of the ten chimeric VLPs, indicating that the immunogenicity of the chimeric VLPs was not disrupted. Importantly, potent anti-FMDV viral neutralizing (VN) antibodies, which exhibited the highest titre of 1 : 176, were induced by two chimeric VLPs, rBPV-VLP-8E8(391) and rBPV-VLP-8E8(395), in which the 8E8 epitope was inserted into positions 391/392 and 395/396, respectively, in the VR VIII of BPV VP2. Our results demonstrated that the 391/392 and 395/396 positions in the VR VIII of the BPV VP2 protein can effectively display a foreign epitope, making this an attractive approach for the design of nanoparticle-vectored and epitope-based vaccines.

Genetic diversity and haplotype analysis of Guizhou Miao identified with 19 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats.

We analyzed Chinese Miao population samples (n = 268) from Guizhou province, Southwest China, with 19 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) included in the AGCU X19 amplification kit. The combined PE is 0.999999922 and the combined PDs in males and females are 0.9999999999999999999994 and 0.9999999999998, respectively. The mean paternity exclusion change values are larger than 0.99999996. The HDs in seven linkage groups vary from 0.9324 to 0.9968. Subsequently, comparison among different Chinese populations shows that the substructures of Chinese were significantly influenced by ethno-linguistic rather than geographical boundaries, including most prominently Turkic-speaking and Tibeto-Burman-speaking populations.

Correction to: Correlation between indoor air pollution and adult respiratory health in Zunyi City in Southwest China: situation in two different seasons.

It has been highlighted that the original article [1] contained some errors in the Result section of the Abstract. The incorrect and correct statement is shown in the Correction article.

Correlation between indoor air pollution and adult respiratory health in Zunyi City in Southwest China: situation in two different seasons.

BACKGROUND: Indoor environmental quality significantly influences the occurrence of asthma attack. Zunyi District has abundant coal reserves and is regarded as one of the cities that are most severely polluted by high levels of particulate matter in China. This study aimed to examine the correlation of indoor exposure with adult respiratory health, as well as the differences in effect between winter and summer. METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted among 1207 adult residents in Zunyi, Guizhou Province of Southwest China in winter and summer. Data on health variables related to asthma and home environmental factors were collected using a modified European Community Respiratory Health Survey II questionnaire. The following data were obtained: samples of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) inside and outside the households under study (n = 20); lung function status, including peak expiratory flow rate, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC ratio. RESULT: The odds ratio (OR) for asthma-like symptoms and asthma in adults using coal stove for cooking or warming, relative to non-users, was 1.73 (95% CI, 1.11-2.69) in winter vs. 1.30 (95% CI, 0.79-2.14) in summer. Adult residents with exposure to cooking oil fumes were at a considerably higher risk of asthma-like symptoms and asthma [OR = 2.65 (95% CI, 1.25 to 5.61) in winter vs. OR = 7.93 (95% CI, 2.54 to 24.75] in summer] than those without such exposure. The prevalence of asthma-like symptoms and asthma was significantly higher in adults with high kitchen risk scores or high sleeping-area risk scores than in those with low scores in both seasons (p < 0.05). The relative kitchen and sleeping area PM2.5 concentrations were higher in winter than in summer (p < 0.05). Lung function was negatively associated with indoor kitchen and sleeping area relative PM2.5 concentration in winter rather than summer (p < 0.001). The effect of exposure to indoor risk factors on lung function among the residents was greater in winter than in summer (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Exposure to indoor risk factors, such as aerocontaminants from coal combustion, causes asthma symptoms and reduces pulmonary function. The effect of indoor risk factors on respiratory health among adults with such exposure was greater in winter than in summer.

Landau Quantization in Coupled Weyl Points: A Case Study of Semimetal NbP.

Weyl semimetal (WSM) is a newly discovered quantum phase of matter that exhibits topologically protected states characterized by two separated Weyl points with linear dispersion in all directions. Here, via combining theoretical analysis and magneto-infrared spectroscopy of an archetypal Weyl semimetal, niobium phosphide, we demonstrate that the coupling between Weyl points can significantly modify the electronic structure of a WSM and provide a new twist to the protected states. These findings suggest that the coupled Weyl points should be considered as the basis for analysis of realistic WSMs.