Nature Communications

Liang, Qiong; Liu, Kuan; Han, Yu; Xia, Hao; Ren, Zhiwei; Li, Dongyang; Zhu, Tao; Cheng, Lei; Wang, Zhenrong; Zhu, Cheng; Fong, Patrick W. K.; Huang, Jiaming; Chen, Qi; Yang, Yang; Li, Gang

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55414-4pmid: 39747020

The primary challenge in commercializing perovskite solar cells (PSCs) mainly stems from fragile and moisture-sensitive nature of halide perovskite materials. In this study, we propose an asynchronous cross-linking strategy. A multifunctional cross-linking initiator, divinyl sulfone (DVS), is firstly pre-embedded into perovskite precursor solutions. DVS, also as a special co-solvent, facilitates intermediate-dominated perovskite crystallization manipulation, favouring formamidine-DVS based solvate transition. Subsequently, DVS-embedded perovskite as-cast films are post-treated with a nucleophilic reagent, glycerinum, to trigger controllably three-dimensional co-polymerization. The resulting cross-linking scaffold provides enhanced water-resistance, releases residual tensile strain, and suppresses deep-level defects. We achieve a maximum efficiency over 25% (certified 24.6%) and a maximum VOC of 1.229 V, corresponding to mere 0.30 V deficit, reaching 97.5% of the theoretical limit, which is the highest reported in all perovskite systems. This strategy is generally applicable with enhanced efficiencies approaching 26%. All-around protection significantly improves PSC’s operational longevity and thermal endurance.

Yao, Cheng; Wei, Ruwei; Luo, Xiao; Zhou, Jie; Zhang, Xiaodong; Lu, Xicun; Dong, Yan; Chu, Ruofan; Sun, Yuxin; Wang, Yu; Xia, Wencheng; Qu, Dahui; Liu, Cong; Ren, Jun; Ge, Guangbo; Chen, Jinquan; Qian, Xuhong; Yang, Youjun

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55445-xpmid: 39747028

The shortwave infrared (SWIR) region is an ideal spectral window for next-generation bioimaging to harness improved penetration and reduced phototoxicity. SWIR spectral activity may also be accessed via supramolecular dye aggregation. Unfortunately, development of dye aggregation remains challenging. We propose a crystal-aided aggregate synthesis (CAASH) approach to introduce a layer of rationality for the development of J-aggregate and the successful development of a water-soluble SWIR JV-aggregate with a bisbenzannulated silicon rhodamine scaffold (ESi5). The resulting SWIR-aggregates exhibit excellent stabilities toward organic solvents, pH, sonication, photobleaching, thiols, and endogenous oxidative species. Notably, the aggregates have a high structure-dependent melting temperature of ca. 330-335 K. In fact, the heating/annealing process can be exploited to reduce aggregation disorder. The aggregates are biocompatible and have broad potential in in vivo fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging and more.

Inskeep, William P.; Jay, Zackary J.; McKay, Luke J.; Dlakić, Mensur

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55079-zpmid: 39746973

Thermophilic microbial communities growing in low-oxygen environments often contain early-evolved archaea and bacteria, which hold clues regarding mechanisms of cellular respiration relevant to early life. Here, we conducted replicate metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, microscopic, and geochemical analyses on two hyperthermophilic (82–84 °C) filamentous microbial communities (Conch and Octopus Springs, Yellowstone National Park, WY) to understand the role of oxygen, sulfur, and arsenic in energy conservation and community composition. We report that hyperthermophiles within the Aquificota (Thermocrinis), Pyropristinus (Caldipriscus), and Thermoproteota (Pyrobaculum) are abundant in both communities; however, higher oxygen results in a greater diversity of aerobic heterotrophs. Metatranscriptomics revealed major shifts in respiratory pathways of keystone chemolithotrophs due to differences in oxygen versus sulfide. Specifically, early-evolved hyperthermophiles express high levels of high-affinity cytochrome bd and CydAA’ oxidases in suboxic sulfidic environments and low-affinity heme Cu oxidases under microaerobic conditions. These energy-conservation mechanisms using cytochrome oxidases in high-temperature, low-oxygen habitats likely played a crucial role in the early evolution of microbial life.

Haggenmüller, Sarah; Wies, Christoph; Abels, Julia; Winterstein, Jana T.; Heinlein, Lukas; Nogueira Garcia, Carina; Utikal, Jochen S.; Wohlfeil, Sebastian A.; Meier, Friedegund; Hobelsberger, Sarah; Gellrich, Frank F.; Sergon, Mildred; Hauschild, Axel; French, Lars E.; Heinzerling, Lucie; Schlager, Justin G.; Ghoreschi, Kamran; Schlaak, Max; Hilke, Franz J.; Poch, Gabriela; Korsing, Sören; Sarfert, Cosimo; Berking, Carola; Heppt, Markus V.; Erdmann, Michael; Haferkamp, Sebastian; Drexler, Konstantin; Schadendorf, Dirk; Sondermann, Wiebke; Goebeler, Matthias; Schilling, Bastian; Kather, Jakob Nikolas; Fröhling, Stefan; Llamas-Velasco, Mar; Requena, Luis C.; Ferrara, Gerardo; Fernandez-Figueras, Maite; Fraitag, Sylvie; Müller, Cornelia S. L.; Starz, Hans; Kutzner, Heinz; Barnhill, Raymond; Carr, Richard; Resnik, Kenneth S.; Braun, Stephan Alexander; Holland-Letz, Tim; Brinker, Titus J.

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-56160-xpmid: 39824857

Accurate melanoma diagnosis is crucial for patient outcomes and reliability of AI diagnostic tools. We assess interrater variability among eight expert pathologists reviewing histopathological images and clinical metadata of 792 melanoma-suspicious lesions prospectively collected at eight German hospitals. Moreover, we provide access to the largest panel-validated dataset featuring dermoscopic and histopathological images with metadata. Complete agreement is achieved in 53.5% of cases (424/792), and a majority vote ( ≥ five pathologists) in 90.9% (720/792). Considerable discordance is observed for non-invasive melanomas (complete agreement in only 10/73 cases). The expert panel disagrees with the local pathologists’ and dermatologists’ diagnoses in 14.9% and 33.5% of cases, respectively. This variability highlights the diagnostic challenges of early-stage melanomas and the need to reconsider how ground truth is established in routine care and AI research. Including at least two pathologists or virtual panels may contribute to more consistent diagnostic results.

Carré, Alexia; Samassa, Fatoumata; Zhou, Zhicheng; Perez-Hernandez, Javier; Lekka, Christiana; Manganaro, Anthony; Oshima, Masaya; Liao, Hanqing; Parker, Robert; Nicastri, Annalisa; Brandao, Barbara; Colli, Maikel L.; Eizirik, Decio L.; Aluri, Jahnavi; Patel, Deep; Göransson, Marcus; Burgos Morales, Orlando; Anderson, Amanda; Landry, Laurie; Kobaisi, Farah; Scharfmann, Raphael; Marselli, Lorella; Marchetti, Piero; You, Sylvaine; Nakayama, Maki; Hadrup, Sine R.; Kent, Sally C.; Richardson, Sarah J.; Ternette, Nicola; Mallone, Roberto

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-55908-9pmid: 39824805

Interferon (IFN)-α is the earliest cytokine signature observed in individuals at risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D), but the effect of IFN-α on the antigen repertoire of HLA Class I (HLA-I) in pancreatic β-cells is unknown. Here we characterize the HLA-I antigen presentation in resting and IFN-α-exposed β-cells and find that IFN-α increases HLA-I expression and expands peptide repertoire to those derived from alternative mRNA splicing, protein cis-splicing and post-translational modifications. While the resting β-cell immunopeptidome is dominated by HLA-A-restricted peptides, IFN-α largely favors HLA-B and only marginally upregulates HLA-A, translating into increased HLA-B-restricted peptide presentation and activation of HLA-B-restricted CD8+ T cells. Lastly, islets of patients with T1D show preferential HLA-B hyper-expression when compared with non-diabetic donors, and islet-infiltrating CD8+ T cells reactive to HLA-B-restricted granule peptides are found in T1D donors. Thus, the inflammatory milieu of insulitis may skew the autoimmune response toward alternative epitopes presented by HLA-B, hence recruiting T cells with a distinct repertoire that may be relevant to T1D pathogenesis.

Wulferding, Dirk; Park, Jongho; Tohyama, Takami; Park, Seung Ryong; Kim, Changyoung

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55355-ypmid: 39747055

Understanding how symmetry-breaking processes generate order out of disorder is among the most fundamental problems of nature. The scalar Higgs mode – a massive (quasi-) particle – is a key ingredient in these processes and emerges with the spontaneous breaking of a continuous symmetry. Its related exotic and elusive axial counterpart, a Boson with vector character, can be stabilized through the simultaneous breaking of multiple continuous symmetries. Here, we employ a magnetic field to tune the recently discovered axial Higgs-type charge-density wave amplitude modes in rare-earth tritellurides. We demonstrate a proportionality between the axial Higgs component and the applied field, and a 90° phase shift upon changing the direction of the magnetic field. This indicates that the axial character is directly related to magnetic degrees of freedom. Our approach opens up an in-situ control over the axial character of emergent Higgs modes.

Zheng, Anjun; Vermeulen, Bram J. A.; Würtz, Martin; Neuner, Annett; Lübbehusen, Nicole; Mayer, Matthias P.; Schiebel, Elmar; Pfeffer, Stefan

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55778-7pmid: 39757296

The γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) is a structural template for controlled nucleation of microtubules from α/β-tubulin heterodimers. At the cytoplasmic side of the yeast spindle pole body, the CM1-containing receptor protein Spc72 promotes γ-TuRC assembly from seven γ-tubulin small complexes (γ-TuSCs) and recruits the microtubule polymerase Stu2, yet their molecular interplay remains unclear. Here, we determine the cryo-EM structure of the Candida albicans cytoplasmic nucleation unit at 3.6 Å resolution, revealing how the γ-TuRC is assembled and conformationally primed for microtubule nucleation by the dimerised Spc72 CM1 motif. Two coiled-coil regions of Spc72 interact with the conserved C-terminal α-helix of Stu2 and thereby position the α/β-tubulin-binding TOG domains of Stu2 in the vicinity of the microtubule assembly site. Collectively, we reveal the function of CM1 motifs in γ-TuSC oligomerisation and the recruitment of microtubule polymerases to the γ-TuRC.

Ni, Xinning; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Wei

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-55927-6pmid: 39794330

The Gulf Stream region (GSR) represents an area of robust oceanic eddies, active hurricanes, and more importantly, frequent encounters between the two phenomena. However, the direct impact of the intense storms on the eddy field has seldom been comprehensively examined. Here based on a multi-year analysis of eddy energy changing rate, we demonstrate that hurricanes enhance cyclonic eddies but weaken anticyclonic ones by injecting potential vorticity into the ocean. Such effects are not only pronounced immediately following hurricane-eddy encounters, but also retained for extended periods within large eddies that have long lifespans. Consequently, the variation of the annual mean energy and vorticity of the eddy field exhibits a high correlation with hurricane intensity. It can thus be argued that hurricanes over the GSR play an important role in driving the long-term variation of the underlying eddy field, thereby affecting ocean circulation and climate.

Li, Yifan; Zhang, Weigang; Kweon, Jeonguk; Pan, Yi; Wang, Qing; Chang, Sukbok; Wang, Yi

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55786-7pmid: 39753559

Sulfur-containing units are fundamental components widely found in bioactive compounds, prompting notable efforts toward developing synthetic methodologies for incorporating sulfur functionality into organic precursors. The synthesis of sulfinate esters and sulfinamides has garnered significant interest owing to their immense potential for applications, especially in drug development. However, most existing synthetic protocols suffer from some limitations. To address these challenges, we herein present a practical and efficient approach for the reductive sulfinylation of diverse nucleophiles with sulfonylpyridinium salts (SulPy) through the nucleophilic chain substitution, namely SNC reaction, which involves S(VI) to S(IV) nucleophilic chain isomerization process. These versatile sulfinylation reagents can be readily accessed from diverse commercially available resourses. The late-stage modification of complex molecules and the ability to rapidly synthesize numerous sulfinyl bioisosteres of various drugs highlights the utility of this protocol.

Chen, Xiuling; Chen, Guining; Xie, Cong; Wu, Lei; Liu, Gongping; Li, Nanwen; Jin, Wanqin

2025 Nature Communications

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55540-zpmid: 39747009

High-performance gas separation membranes have potential in industrial separation applications, while overcoming the permeability-selectivity trade-off via regulable aperture distribution remains challenging. Here, we report a strategy to fabricate Polyolefin Reweaved Ultra-micropore Membrane (PRUM) to acquire regulable microporous channel. Specifically, olefin monomers are dispersed uniformly into a pristine membrane (e.g., PIM-1) via solution diffusion method. Upon controlled electron beam irradiation, the olefin undergoes a free radical polymerization, resulting in the formation of olefin polymer in-situ reweaved in the membrane. The deliberately regulated and contracted pore-aperture size of the membrane can be accomplished by varying the olefin polymer loading to achieve efficient gas separation. For instance, PIM-1 PRUM containing 27 wt% poly-glycidyl methacrylate demonstrate CO2 permeability of 1976 Barrer, combined with CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivities of 58.4 and 48.3 respectively, transcending the performance upper bounds. This controllable and high efficiency-design strategy provides a general approach to create sub-nanometre-sized pore-apertures of gas separation membranes with wide universality.