People who are blind do not have access to graphical data and imagery produced by science. This exclusion complicates learning and data sharing between sighted and blind persons. Because blind people use tactile senses to visualize data (and sighted people use eyesight), a single data format that can be easily visualized by both is needed. Here, we report that graphical data can be three-dimensionally printed into tactile graphics that glow with video-like resolution via the lithophane effect. Lithophane forms of gel electropherograms, micrographs, electronic and mass spectra, and textbook illustrations could be interpreted by touch or eyesight at ≥79% accuracy (
n
= 360). The lithophane data format enables universal visualization of data by people regardless of their level of eyesight.
This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record.
This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record.
The heterodimerization of wild-type (WT) Cu, Zn superoxide
dismutase-1
(SOD1) and mutant SOD1 might be a critical step in the pathogenesis
of SOD1-linked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Post-translational
modifications that accelerate SOD1 heterodimerization remain unidentified.
Here, we used capillary electrophoresis to quantify the effect of
cysteine-111 oxidation on the rate and free energy of ALS mutant/WT
SOD1 heterodimerization. The oxidation of Cys111-β-SH
to sulfinic and sulfonic acid (by hydrogen peroxide) increased rates
of heterodimerization (with unoxidized protein) by ∼3-fold.
Cysteine oxidation drove the equilibrium free energy of SOD1 heterodimerization
by up to ΔΔG = −5.11 ± 0.36
kJ mol–1. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested
that this enhanced heterodimerization, between oxidized homodimers
and unoxidized homodimers, was promoted by electrostatic repulsion
between the two “dueling” Cys111-SO2
–/SO3
–, which point
toward one another in the homodimeric state. Together, these results
suggest that oxidation of Cys-111 promotes subunit exchange between
oxidized homodimers and unoxidized homodimers, regardless of whether
they are mutant or WT dimers.
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