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Plant defensins (PDFs) are cysteine‐rich antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are important components of plant immunity. They occur constitutively in various plant tissues but are also upregulated upon stress. Therefore, these molecules are of great interest as markers for the diagnosis of early forest stress response in plants at the molecular level. PDFs are small peptides (~5 kDa) with a compact tertiary structure, requiring specific protocols and dedicated antibodies for detection by quantitative ELISA. We developed monoclonal recombinant antibodies using phage display in solution against the correctly folded antigen defensin Fs PDF2 from beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and analysed the antibody–antigen interaction in silico with AlphaFold 3. In a proof‐of‐principle study, we investigated the Fs PDF2 stress response to abiotic (drought) and biotic (gall midge) stresses. Notably, we established an assay for defensin quantification in crude plant extract, detecting for the first time natively folded proteins in a specific sandwich ELISA. Our antibody generation strategy can be transferred by practitioners to other small antimicrobial peptides (AMP), paving the way to study this group of proteins and their corresponding stress response comprehensively.

Plant defensins (PDFs) are cysteine‐rich antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are important components of plant immunity. They occur constitutively in various plant tissues but are also upregulated upon stress. Therefore, these molecules are of great interest as markers for the diagnosis of early forest stress response in plants at the molecular level. PDFs are small peptides ( 5 kDa) with a compact tertiary structure, requiring specific protocols and dedicated antibodies for detection by quantitative ELISA. We developed monoclonal recombinant antibodies using phage display in solution against the correctly folded antigen defensin FsPDF2 from beech (Fagus sylvatica) and analysed the antibody–antigen interaction in silico with AlphaFold 3. In a proof‐of‐principle study, we investigated the FsPDF2 stress response to abiotic (drought) and biotic (gall midge) stresses. Notably, we established an assay for defensin quantification in crude plant extract, detecting for the first time natively folded proteins in a specific sandwich ELISA. Our antibody generation strategy can be transferred by practitioners to other small antimicrobial peptides (AMP), paving the way to study this group of proteins and their corresponding stress response comprehensively.

A randomized trial that enrolled patients with severe aortic stenosis at low or intermediate surgical risk showed that transcatheter aortic-valve implantation was noninferior to surgical aortic-valve replacement at 1 year.

Trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs) are a major class of proteins by which pathogenic proteobacteria adhere to their hosts. Prominent examples include Yersinia YadA, Haemophilus Hia and Hsf, Moraxella UspA1 and A2, and Neisseria NadA. TAAs also occur in symbiotic and environmental species and presumably represent a general solution to the problem of adhesion in proteobacteria. The general structure of TAAs follows a head-stalk-anchor architecture, where the heads are the primary mediators of attachment and autoagglutination. In the major adhesin of Bartonella henselae, BadA, the head consists of three domains, the N-terminal of which shows strong sequence similarity to the head of Yersinia YadA. The two other domains were not recognizably similar to any protein of known structure. We therefore determined their crystal structure to a resolution of 1.1 A. Both domains are beta-prisms, the N-terminal one formed by interleaved, five-stranded beta-meanders parallel to the trimer axis and the C-terminal one by five-stranded beta-meanders orthogonal to the axis. Despite the absence of statistically significant sequence similarity, the two domains are structurally similar to domains from Haemophilus Hia, albeit in permuted order. Thus, the BadA head appears to be a chimera of domains seen in two other TAAs, YadA and Hia, highlighting the combinatorial evolutionary strategy taken by pathogens.

The WeCare project (Utilizing Weather information for Climate efficient and eco efficient future aviation), an internal project of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR), aimed at finding solutions for reducing the climate impact of aviation based on an improved understanding of the atmospheric impact from aviation by making use of measurements and modeling approaches. WeCare made some important contributions to advance the scientific understanding in the area of atmospheric and air transportation research. We characterize contrail properties, show that the aircraft type significantly influences these properties, and how contrail-cirrus interacts with natural cirrus. Aviation NOx emissions lead to ozone formation and we show that the strength of the ozone enhancement varies, depending on where within a weather pattern NOx is emitted. These results, in combination with results on the effects of aerosol emissions on low cloud properties, give a revised view on the total radiative forcing of aviation. The assessment of a fleet of strut-braced wing aircraft with an open rotor is investigated and reveals the potential to significantly reduce the climate impact. Intermediate stop operations have the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption. However, we find that, if only optimized for fuel use, they will have an increased climate impact, since non-CO2 effects compensate the reduced warming from CO2 savings. Avoiding climate sensitive regions has a large potential in reducing climate impact at relatively low costs. Taking advantage of a full 3D optimization has a much better eco-efficiency than lateral re-routings, only. The implementation of such operational measures requires many more considerations. Non-CO2 aviation effects are not considered in international agreements. We showed that climate-optimal routing could be achieved, if market-based measures were in place, which include these non-CO2 effects. An alternative measure to foster climate-optimal routing is the closing of air spaces, which are very climate-sensitive. Although less effective than an unconstrained optimization with respect to climate, it still has a significant potential to reduce the climate impact of aviation. By combining atmospheric and air transportation research, we assess climate mitigation measures, aiming at providing information to aviation stakeholders and policy-makers to make aviation more climate compatible.

The Drosophila heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) regulates epigenetic gene silencing and heterochromatin formation by promoting and maintaining chromatin condensation. Here we report the identification and characterization of an HP1-interacting protein (Hip). Hip interacts with HP1 in vitro and is associated with HP1 in vivo. This interaction is mediated by at least three independent but similar HP1-binding modules of the Hip protein. Hip and HP1 completely colocalize in the pericentric heterochromatin, and both haplo- and triplo-dosage mutations act as dominant suppressors of position effect variegation. These findings identify a player in heterochromatinization and suggest that Hip cooperates with HP1 in chromatin remodeling and gene silencing.

The Drosophila heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) regulates epigenetic gene silencing and heterochromatin formation by promoting and maintaining chromatin condensation. Here we report the identification and characterization of an HP1-interacting protein (Hip). Hip interacts with HP1 in vitro and is associated with HP1 in vivo. This interaction is mediated by at least three independent but similar HP1-binding modules of the Hip protein. Hip and HP1 completely colocalize in the pericentric heterochromatin, and both haplo- and triplo-dosage mutations act as dominant suppressors of position effect variegation. These findings identify a player in heterochromatinization and suggest that Hip cooperates with HP1 in chromatin remodeling and gene silencing.

Trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs) are a major class of proteins by which pathogenic proteobacteria adhere to their hosts. Prominent examples include Yersinia YadA, Haemophilus Hia and Hsf, Moraxella UspA1 and A2, and Neisseria NadA. TAAs also occur in symbiotic and environmental species and presumably represent a general solution to the problem of adhesion in proteobacteria. The general structure of TAAs follows a head-stalk-anchor architecture, where the heads are the primary mediators of attachment and autoagglutination. In the major adhesin of Bartonella henselae, BadA, the head consists of three domains, the N-terminal of which shows strong sequence similarity to the head of Yersinia YadA. The two other domains were not recognizably similar to any protein of known structure. We therefore determined their crystal structure to a resolution of 1.1 Å. Both domains are β-prisms, the N-terminal one formed by interleaved, five-stranded β-meanders parallel to the trimer axis and the C-terminal one by five-stranded β-meanders orthogonal to the axis. Despite the absence of statistically significant sequence similarity, the two domains are structurally similar to domains from Haemophilus Hia, albeit in permuted order. Thus, the BadA head appears to be a chimera of domains seen in two other TAAs, YadA and Hia, highlighting the combinatorial evolutionary strategy taken by pathogens.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells, a subset of CD4+ T cells, play a crucial role in immunoregulation. Notably, CCR8-expressing Treg cells in tissues also contribute to organ homeostasis and repair. To determine whether these tissue-regenerative programs are active in the tumor microenvironment, we employed single-cell chromatin accessibility and genome-wide DNA methylation analyses to investigate CCR8+ tissue Treg cells isolated from human tumor and adjacent tumor-free tissues. Our findings indicate that CCR8+ tissue Treg cells from tumor and corresponding tumor-free tissues exhibit a high degree of similarity, suggesting that the tumor microenvironment may harbor highly activated tissue Treg cells. This observation was consistent across various tumor types and origins, including primary tumors and metastases. Using quantitative proteomics, we identified several candidate factors associated with the regenerative and suppressive programs of Treg cells, which may serve as potential reservoir of druggable targets for future therapeutic interventions.