Biochemistry

High-Throughput Activity Assay for Screening Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Mac1 Macrodomain

1. Morgan Dasovich
2. Junlin Zhuo
3. Jack A. Goodman
4. Ajit Thomas
5. Robert Lyle McPherson
6. Aravinth Kumar Jayabalan
7. Veronica F. Busa
8. Shang-Jung Cheng
9. Brennan A. Murphy
10. Karli R. Redinger
11. Yousef M. O. Alhammad
12. Anthony R. Fehr
13. Takashi Tsukamoto
14. Barbara S. Slusher
15. Jürgen Bosch
16. Huijun Wei
17. Anthony K. L. Leung

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Structural insights into recognition of chemokine receptors by Staphylococcus aureus leukotoxins

1. Paul Lambey
2. Omolade Otun
3. Xiaojing Cong
4. François Hoh
5. Luc Brunel
6. Pascal Verdié
7. Claire M Grison
8. Fanny Peysson
9. Sylvain Jeannot
10. Thierry Durroux
11. Cherine Bechara
12. Sébastien Granier
13. Cédric Leyrat

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript reports on the interaction of LukE toxin with chemokine receptors. The study is extensive and employs a wide array of tools, although further experimentation would be needed to substantiate the inferences made by the authors. The paper will be of interest to scientists interested in host-pathogen interactions as it delves into understanding the molecular mechanism and interactions of an important toxin interacting with cellular receptors.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Metabolic Snapshot of Plasma Samples Reveals New Pathways Implicated in SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis

1. Oihane E. Albóniga
2. Daniel Jiménez
3. Matilde Sánchez-Conde
4. Pilar Vizcarra
5. Raquel Ron
6. Sabina Herrera
7. Javier Martínez-Sanz
8. Elena Moreno
9. Santiago Moreno
10. Coral Barbas
11. Sergio Serrano-Villar

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Novel mechanistic insights into the role of Mer2 as the keystone of meiotic DNA break formation

1. Dorota Rousová
2. Vaishnavi Nivsarkar
3. Veronika Altmannova
4. Vivek B Raina
5. Saskia K Funk
6. David Liedtke
7. Petra Janning
8. Franziska Müller
9. Heidi Reichle
10. Gerben Vader
11. John R Weir

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Using a combination of biochemical approaches and yeast genetics, the authors study the function of the DNA double-strand break factor Mer2. The authors show that Mer2 interacts with a meiotic chromosome axis factor (Hop1), nucleosomes, the nucleosome-binding protein Spp1, and the double-strand break factor Mre11 to serve as a "keystone" for meiotic DNA break formation. These findings represent an important step forward in understanding the functions of this highly conserved protein in meiosis.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

LRRC15 mediates an accessory interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

1. Jarrod Shilts
2. Thomas W. M. Crozier
3. Ana Teixeira-Silva
4. Ildar Gabaev
5. Pehuén Pereyra Gerber
6. Edward J. D. Greenwood
7. Samuel James Watson
8. Brian M. Ortmann
9. Christian M. Gawden-Bone
10. Tekle Pauzaite
11. Markus Hoffmann
12. James A. Nathan
13. Stefan Pöhlmann
14. Nicholas J. Matheson
15. Paul J. Lehner
16. Gavin J. Wright

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Transcription initiation at a consensus bacterial promoter proceeds via a ‘bind-unwind-load-and-lock’ mechanism

1. Abhishek Mazumder
2. Richard H Ebright
3. Achillefs N Kapanidis

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This work aims to provide insight into the molecular mechanism by which RNA polymerase separates the two strands of DNA, generating a single-stranded template for RNA synthesis. Using single-molecule analysis, the authors examined two conformational transitions taking place during RNA transcription initiation: DNA unwinding and RNAP clamp movements. Pending addition of some important controls, the paper will help to distinguish between two competing hypotheses within the literature. The work will be of relevance to a wide range of researchers interested in the molecular basis of gene expression and gene regulation.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Altered fibrin clot structure and dysregulated fibrinolysis contribute to thrombosis risk in severe COVID-19

1. Malgorzata Wygrecka
2. Anna Birnhuber
3. Benjamin Seeliger
4. Laura Michalick
5. Oleg Pak
6. Astrid-Solveig Schultz
7. Fabian Schramm
8. Martin Zacharias
9. Gregor Gorkiewicz
10. Sascha David
11. Tobias Welte
12. Julius J. Schmidt
13. Norbert Weissmann
14. Ralph T. Schermuly
15. Guillermo Barreto
16. Liliana Schaefer
17. Philipp Markart
18. Markus C. Brack
19. Stefan Hippenstiel
20. Florian Kurth
21. Leif E. Sander
22. Martin Witzenrath
23. Wolfgang M. Kuebler
24. Grazyna Kwapiszewska
25. Klaus T. Preissner

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Copper(II) Gluconate Boosts the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Effect of Disulfiram In Vitro

1. Luyan Xu
2. Wei Xu
3. Simeng Zhao
4. Suwen Zhao
5. Lu Lu
6. Bo-Lin Lin

Reviewed by ScreenIT

The Nuts and Bolts of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor-Binding Domain Heterologous Expression

1. Mariano Maffei
2. Linda Celeste Montemiglio
3. Grazia Vitagliano
4. Luigi Fedele
5. Shaila Sellathurai
6. Federica Bucci
7. Mirco Compagnone
8. Valerio Chiarini
9. Cécile Exertier
10. Alessia Muzi
11. Giuseppe Roscilli
12. Beatrice Vallone
13. Emanuele Marra

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Competitive binding of MatP and topoisomerase IV to the MukB dimerization hinge

1. Gemma L. M. Fisher
2. Jani R. Bolla
3. Karthik V. Rajasekar
4. Jarno Mäkelä
5. Rachel Baker
6. Man Zhou
7. Josh P. Prince
8. Mathew Stracy
9. Carol V. Robinson
10. Lidia K. Arciszewska
11. David J. Sherratt

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper is of potential interest to an audience of biochemists, cell biologists, and structural biologists working in the area of chromosome organization and segregation. A wide range of in vitro methods is used to provide compelling biochemical evidence for the interaction of MatP and ParEC at the hinge of MukB, the condensin of Enterobacteria. However, the evidence supporting the significance of these interactions in vivo is less strong, limiting the biological implications of the elegant biochemical findings.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife