{"title":"Surface amorphization enables robust catalyst for industrial-level low-potential electrooxidation reactions","authors":"Jian Chen, Xin Wang, Chang Sun, Zheng Li, Yangen Zhou, Zhenhua Li, Yumin Qian, Mengran Wang, Simin Li, Yanqing Lai, Shuangyin Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62293-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62293-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Electrooxidation of pollutants at potentials near or below the thermodynamic hydrogen evolution potential offers transformative opportunities for energy-efficient pollutant valorization and diverse energy devices. However, existing catalysts suffer from rapid deactivation due to the inevitable overoxidation. Herein, we present an amorphous phosphorus-doped CoFe₂O₄ catalyst that achieves industrial-level current densities (1 A cm⁻²) at ultralow potentials (0.06, 0.65, and −0.17 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode) for hydrazine, sulfion, and borohydride electrooxidation, respectively, along with 400-hour stability at 300 mA cm⁻² in a hydrazine-assisted electrolyzer. Mechanistic studies reveal electron transfer from Co-P ligands to Co-O ligands, which enhances the involvement of Co-O ligands in low-potential electrooxidation while protecting Co-P ligands from overoxidation. Furthermore, more positive charges on Co centers lower the activation barrier for such pollutant electrooxidation. This work opens a paradigm for designing robust electrocatalysts by decoupling catalytic activity from oxidative deactivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hossein Bemana, Hendrik Schumann, Morgan McKee, Senada Nozinovic, Jörg Daniels, Ralf Weisbarth, Nikolay Kornienko
{"title":"Accelerating lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction through an integrated palladium membrane hydrogenation reactor","authors":"Hossein Bemana, Hendrik Schumann, Morgan McKee, Senada Nozinovic, Jörg Daniels, Ralf Weisbarth, Nikolay Kornienko","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62088-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62088-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Lithium-mediated N<sub>2</sub> reduction reaction (LiNRR) is regarded as the most robust route towards electrifying NH<sub>3</sub> synthesis. However, in this reaction geometry, hydrogen atoms typically supplied through electrolyte degradation, via H<sub>2</sub> oxidation or a combination of both, hampering the efficiency of the process. In this work we provide an alternative H-source by merging a Pd Membrane reactor (PMR) with a LiNRR reactor in a unique dual-reactor setup. Specifically, use a Pd membrane that extracts H atoms directly from H<sub>2</sub>O and transfers them across the membrane to an electrodeposited Li layer operating under non-aqueous LiNRR conditions. We show that these H<sub>2</sub>O-derived H-atoms are used directly to synthesize NH<sub>3</sub> in the presence of N<sub>2</sub> and electrodeposited Li, thereby opening orthogonal reaction pathways within the metal-mediated nitrogen reduction concept.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shengyu Zhang, Donghui Huo, Robert I. Horne, Yumeng Qi, Sebastian Pujalte Ojeda, Aixia Yan, Michele Vendruscolo
{"title":"Sequence-based virtual screening using transformers","authors":"Shengyu Zhang, Donghui Huo, Robert I. Horne, Yumeng Qi, Sebastian Pujalte Ojeda, Aixia Yan, Michele Vendruscolo","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-61833-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61833-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Protein-ligand interactions play central roles in myriad biological processes and are of key importance in drug design. Deep learning approaches are becoming cost-effective alternatives to high-throughput experimental methods for ligand identification. Here, to predict the binding affinity between proteins and small molecules, we introduce Ligand-Transformer, a deep learning method based on the transformer architecture. Ligand-Transformer implements a sequence-based approach, where the inputs are the amino acid sequence of the target protein and the topology of the small molecule to enable the prediction of the conformational space explored by the complex between the two. We apply Ligand-Transformer to screen and validate experimentally inhibitors targeting the mutant EGFR<sup>LTC</sup> kinase, identifying compounds with low nanomolar potency. We then use this approach to predict the conformational population shifts induced by known ABL kinase inhibitors, showing that sequence-based predictions enable the characterisation of the population shift upon binding. Overall, our results illustrate the potential of Ligand-Transformer to accurately predict the interactions of small molecules with proteins, including the binding affinity and the changes in the free energy landscapes upon binding, thus uncovering molecular mechanisms and facilitating the initial steps in drug design.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"129 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ka Chun Chong, Yuchen Wei, Katherine Min Jia, Christopher Boyer, Guozhang Lin, Huwen Wang, Conglu Li, Chi Tim Hung, Xiaoting Jiang, Carrie Ho Kwan Yam, Tsz Yu Chow, Yawen Wang, Shi Zhao, Kehang Li, Aimin Yang, Chris Ka Pun Mok, David SC Hui, Eng Kiong Yeoh, Zihao Guo
{"title":"SARS-CoV-2 rebound and post-acute mortality and hospitalization among patients admitted with COVID-19: cohort study","authors":"Ka Chun Chong, Yuchen Wei, Katherine Min Jia, Christopher Boyer, Guozhang Lin, Huwen Wang, Conglu Li, Chi Tim Hung, Xiaoting Jiang, Carrie Ho Kwan Yam, Tsz Yu Chow, Yawen Wang, Shi Zhao, Kehang Li, Aimin Yang, Chris Ka Pun Mok, David SC Hui, Eng Kiong Yeoh, Zihao Guo","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-61737-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61737-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent investigations have demonstrated a relationship between the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 and post-COVID-19 conditions. Building upon a potential connection between SARS-CoV-2 persistence and early virologic rebound, we examine the association of early virologic rebound with post-acute mortality and hospitalization due to post-acute sequelae among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Our study includes 13,859, 3959, and 4502 patients in the all-patient, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, and molnupiravir group, respectively. Results show that patients who experienced virologic rebound exhibited a significantly higher risk of post-acute mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36–1.70) with a risk difference [RD] of 7.19%, compared with patients without virologic rebound. A similar increase in the risk of post-acute mortality is also observed in nirmatrelvir/ritonavir-treated patients (HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.41–2.25; RD, 12.55%) and molnupiravir-treated patients (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.18–1.82; RD, 4.90%). The virologic rebound may thus serve as an early marker for post-COVID-19 condition, enabling healthcare officials to monitor and provide timely intervention for long COVID.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Claire S. Simon, Afshan McCarthy, Laura Woods, Desislava Staneva, Martin Proks, Nazmus Salehin, Georgia Lea, Qiulin Huang, Madeleine Linneberg-Agerholm, Alex Faulkner, Athanasios Papathanasiou, Kay Elder, Phil Snell, Leila Christie, Patricia Garcia, Valerie Shaikly, Mohamed Taranissi, Meenakshi Choudhary, Mary Herbert, Courtney W. Hanna, Joshua M. Brickman, Kathy K. Niakan
{"title":"Suppression of ERK signalling promotes pluripotent epiblast in the human blastocyst","authors":"Claire S. Simon, Afshan McCarthy, Laura Woods, Desislava Staneva, Martin Proks, Nazmus Salehin, Georgia Lea, Qiulin Huang, Madeleine Linneberg-Agerholm, Alex Faulkner, Athanasios Papathanasiou, Kay Elder, Phil Snell, Leila Christie, Patricia Garcia, Valerie Shaikly, Mohamed Taranissi, Meenakshi Choudhary, Mary Herbert, Courtney W. Hanna, Joshua M. Brickman, Kathy K. Niakan","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-61830-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61830-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Studies in the mouse demonstrate the importance of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and extra-cellular receptor tyrosine kinase (ERK) in specification of embryo-fated epiblast and yolk-sac-fated hypoblast cells from uncommitted inner cell mass (ICM) cells prior to implantation. Molecular mechanisms regulating specification of early lineages in human development are comparatively unclear. Here we show that exogenous FGF stimulation leads to expanded hypoblast molecular marker expression, at the expense of the epiblast. Conversely, we show that specifically inhibiting ERK activity leads to expansion of epiblast cells functionally capable of giving rise to naïve human pluripotent stem cells. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis indicates that these epiblast cells downregulate FGF signalling and maintain molecular markers of the epiblast. Our functional study demonstrates the molecular mechanisms governing ICM specification in human development, whereby segregation of the epiblast and hypoblast lineages occurs during maturation of the mammalian embryo in an ERK signal-dependent manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"238 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhongyan Li, Lin Yuan, Wenju Chang, Junqiu Liu, Jie Shen, Huaqiang Zeng
{"title":"A controllable photoresponsive potassium transporter","authors":"Zhongyan Li, Lin Yuan, Wenju Chang, Junqiu Liu, Jie Shen, Huaqiang Zeng","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62113-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62113-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Artificial photoresponsive transport systems are particularly intriguing because they offer the potential for precise spatio-temporal control, rapid response times and minimal toxicity associated with the light. We report here a controllable, photoresponsive, ion-transporting carrier, achieving controllability through a photoregulated <i>β</i>-cyclodextrin (<i>β</i>-CD)-azobenzene host-guest complex. In this complex, a lipid-anchored <i>β</i>-CD serves as the launch base, tightly immobilizing through host-guest interactions the otherwise freely moving trans-transporter derived from a crown ether-modified trans-azobenzene motif, but rapidly releasing most of it upon 365 nm UV irradiation that converts transporter to its cis-configuration. The launched cis-transporter functions well as a highly efficient potassium transporter, delivering a low EC<sub>50</sub> value of 1.51 μM and a drastic transport activity enhancement by ~ 400% relative to the base-bound trans-transporter (EC<sub>50</sub> = 7.46 μM), with on-off activities repeatedly regulated by light. In the absence of the base, the on-off activities between cis- and trans-transporters however differ by only 80% (1.35 μM vs 2.45 μM).</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"90 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mitigating hypersonic heat barrier via direct cooling enhanced by leidenfrost inhibition","authors":"Ji-Xiang Wang, Mingliang Zhong, Jia-Xin Li, Shaolong Wang, Jiang Bian, Yufeng Mao, Hongmei Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62120-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62120-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Heat barrier, the unrestricted increase in airplane or rocket speeds caused by aerodynamic heating, which—without adequate provisions for cooling the exposed surfaces—can lead to the loss of a hypersonic vehicle’s reusability, maneuverability, and cost-effectiveness. To date, indirect thermal protection methods, such as regenerative cooling, film cooling, and transpiration cooling, have proven to be complex and inefficient. Here, we propose a direct liquid cooling system to mitigate the heat barrier, utilizing a blunt-sharp structured thermal armor (STA)—a recently proposed material [36] to elevate the Leidenfrost point. The fiber-metal nano-/micro-STA withstands rigorous simulated hypersonic aerodynamic heating using butane and acetylene flames, ensuring effective temperature management in scenarios where flame temperatures reach up to 3000 °C—far exceeding the melting point of the STA substrate. Systematic cycling and durability tests further confirm the STA’s exceptional tolerance and robustness under extreme conditions. This work offers an efficient thermal protection method for hypersonic vehicles.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henry W. Bell, Ruopeng Feng, Manan Shah, Yu Yao, James Douglas, Phillip A. Doerfler, Thiyagaraj Mayuranathan, Michael F. O’Dea, Yichao Li, Yong-Dong Wang, Jingjing Zhang, Joel P. Mackay, Yong Cheng, Kate G. R. Quinlan, Mitchell J. Weiss, Merlin Crossley
{"title":"Removal of promoter CpG methylation by epigenome editing reverses HBG silencing","authors":"Henry W. Bell, Ruopeng Feng, Manan Shah, Yu Yao, James Douglas, Phillip A. Doerfler, Thiyagaraj Mayuranathan, Michael F. O’Dea, Yichao Li, Yong-Dong Wang, Jingjing Zhang, Joel P. Mackay, Yong Cheng, Kate G. R. Quinlan, Mitchell J. Weiss, Merlin Crossley","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62177-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62177-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>β-hemoglobinopathies caused by mutations in adult-expressed <i>HBB</i> can be treated by re-activating the adjacent paralogous genes <i>HBG1</i> and <i>HBG2 (HBG)</i>, which are normally silenced perinatally. Although <i>HBG</i> expression is induced by global demethylating drugs, their mechanism is poorly understood, and toxicity limits their use. We identify the DNMT1-associated maintenance methylation protein UHRF1 as a mediator of <i>HBG</i> repression through a CRISPR/Cas9 screen. Loss of UHRF1 in the adult-type erythroid cell line HUDEP2 causes global demethylation and <i>HBG</i> activation that is reversed upon localized promoter re-methylation. Conversely, targeted demethylation of the <i>HBG</i> promoters activates their genes in HUDEP2 or primary CD34<sup>+</sup> cell-derived erythroblasts. Mutation of MBD2, a CpG-methylation reading component of the NuRD co-repressor complex, recapitulates the effects of promoter demethylation. Our findings demonstrate that localized CpGmethylation at the <i>HBG</i> promoters facilitates gene silencing and identify a potential therapeutic approach for β-hemoglobinopathies via epigenomic editing.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144712222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Late-stage O-sulfation with a bioinspired sulfuryl donor","authors":"Ye Zheng, Li Huang, Chunlan Song, Jiakun Li","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62093-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62093-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>O</i>-sulfation is a widespread modification of both endogenous and exogenous biomolecules, where the primary objective is to identify effective sulfuryl donors. In nature, 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) and <i>p</i>-nitrophenyl sulfate (PNPS) are efficient sulfuryl donors. However, most chemical sulfuryl donors in <i>O</i>-sulfation, typically require harsh conditions and have not been demonstrated in complex molecules. Here we report a biomimetic <i>O</i>-sulfation method that is compatible with complex natural products and pharmaceutical scaffolds. Key to this approach is the use of tetrabutylammonium (<sup>n</sup>Bu<sub>4</sub>N<sup>+</sup>) as a counterion for intrinsically anionic PNPS donor. The role of <sup>n</sup>Bu<sub>4</sub>N<sup>+</sup> goes far beyond simple charge balance; the coordination of <sup>n</sup>Bu<sub>4</sub>N<sup>+</sup> with sulfate in PNPS activates the sulfuryl donor by elongating the S–O bond and enhancing the leaving ability of nitrophenolate group. This unique activation model facilitates the transfer of sulfuryl group to diverse alcohols and phenols under simple and mild reaction conditions, thereby demonstrating its utility for site-selective <i>O</i>-sulfation with multiple hydroxyl groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"111 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144712219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Electrochemical coupling of carbon monoxide and amine on iodide coordination stabilized Cuδ+ site","authors":"Yun Fan, Yunhui Yan, Qizheng An, Zhongcheng Xia, Yuping Pan, Yuxuan Lu, Zhonghuan Zhu, Ruiqi Wang, Qinghua Liu, Yuqin Zou, Yongjun Li, Shuangyin Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41467-025-62291-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62291-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The use of renewable electricity to drive the electrocatalytic coupling of CO with nitrogen-containing organics offers a promising strategy for producing high-value chemicals. In this work, we conduct a systematic investigation of the coordination effect between iodide and copper oxide to generate Cu<sup>δ+</sup> active sites. These Cu<sup>δ+</sup> sites enable the electrosynthesis of dimethylacetamide from CO and dimethylamine. Through precise regulation of the electrode surface microenvironment, a dimethylacetamide Faradaic efficiency of 45.6% is achieved at a partial current density of 182.4 mA·cm<sup>-2</sup>, with a production rate of 435.9 mmol·g<sub>cat.</sub><sup>−1</sup>·h<sup>-1</sup> and selectivity approaching 70%. Mechanistic studies reveal that specific adsorption of I<sup>-</sup> forms an iodide-enriched Cu<sup>0</sup>/Cu<sup>+</sup> interface that synergistically promotes dimethylacetamide formation by enhancing adsorption of ketene intermediates (*CCO) and facilitating C–N bonds formation. This anion-coordination interfacial engineering strategy demonstrates broad applicability for synthesizing various acetamide derivatives from CO<sub>2</sub>/CO and amine, providing a foundational framework for electrocatalytic C-N coupling in acetamide synthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19066,"journal":{"name":"Nature Communications","volume":"97 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144712221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}