Biophysics

A quantitative pipeline for whole-mount deep imaging and analysis of multi-layered organoids across scales

1. Alice Gros
2. Jules Vanaret
3. Valentin Dunsing-Eichenauer
4. Agathe Rostan
5. Philippe Roudot
6. Pierre-François Lenne
7. Léo Guignard
8. Sham Tlili

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work describes the establishment of an image analysis pipeline for signal correction, segmentation and quantitative data analysis of multilayered organoid and tumoroid systems. The revised study is important for the field to address many practical challenges in deep-tissue visualization. The image analysis pipeline is well-designed and compelling.

Reviewed by eLife

Enhanced Processivity and Collective Force Production of Kinesin-1 at Low Radial Forces

1. Andrew M Hensley
2. Ahmet Yildiz

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The current work uses DNA-tethered motor trapping to reduce vertical forces and improve datasets for kinesin-1 motility under load. The evidence is compelling and the significance is important to the kinesin field. Kinesin-1 is more robust and less prone to premature detachment than previously indicated. This represents a significant advancement in the field and is generally applicable to work with optical tweezers.

Reviewed by eLife

Conformational Variability of HIV-1 Env Trimer and Viral Vulnerability

1. Yiwei Cao
2. Wonpil Im

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  In this useful study, the authors conducted an impressive amount of atomistic simulations with a realistic asymmetric lipid bilayer to probe how the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) transmembrane domain, cytoplasmic tail, and membrane environment influence ectodomain orientation and antibody epitope exposure. The simulations convincingly show that ectodomain motion is dominated by tilting relative to the membrane and explicitly demonstrate the role of membrane asymmetry in modulating the protein conformation and orientation. However, due to the qualitative nature of the conducted analyses, the evidence for the coupling between membrane-proximal regions and the antigenic surface is considered incomplete. With stronger integration of prior experimental and computational literature, this work has the potential to serve as a reference for how Env behaves in a realistic, glycosylated, membrane-embedded context.

Reviewed by eLife

Interplay Between Pulmonary Membrane Properties and Lung Disease: A Study of Seven Bottlenose Dolphins

1. Marilyn Porras-Gómez
2. Bengu Sueda Sengul
3. Nurila Kambar
4. Sari Gluck
5. Kristen Flatt
6. Celeste Parry
7. Carolina Ruiz Le-Bert
8. Diego Hernández-Saavedra
9. Cecília Leal

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The study presents data on the possible connection of respiratory pathologies like pneumonia in a cohort of dolphins with altered composition and concomitant perturbed biophysical properties of pulmonary surfactant complexes. Overall, it is a valuable contribution that could be of interest to scientists in the field. However, the study as it is appears somewhat incomplete and additional clarification and discussions are required in order to explain a few methodological questions that may limit the impact of the work considerably.

Reviewed by eLife

SMC complex unidirectionally translocates DNA by coupling segment capture with an asymmetric kleisin path

1. Masataka Yamauchi
2. Giovanni B Brandani
3. Tsuyoshi Terakawa
4. Shoji Takada

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study presents a well-constructed multiscale simulation framework to investigate ATP-driven DNA translocation by prokaryotic SMC complexes, supporting a segment-capture mechanism. The strength of evidence is convincing, highlighting the necessity of a precise balance between electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, as well as the critical role of kleisin asymmetry in ensuring unidirectional movement.

Reviewed by eLife

Altair-LSFM: A High-Resolution, Easy-to-Build Light-Sheet Microscope for Sub-Cellular Imaging

1. John Haug
2. Seweryn Gałecki
3. Hsin-Yu Lin
4. Xiaoding Wang
5. Kevin M Dean

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This useful study presents Altair-LSFM, a solid and well-documented implementation of a light-sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM) designed for accessibility and cost reduction. While the approach offers strengths such as the use of custom-machined baseplates and detailed assembly instructions, its overall impact is limited by the lack of live-cell imaging capabilities and the absence of a clear, quantitative comparison to existing LSFM platforms. As such, although technically competent, the broader utility and uptake of this system by the community may be limited.

Reviewed by eLife

Open Raman Microscopy (ORM): A Modular Hardware and Software Framework for Accessible Raman Imaging

1. Kevin T. Uning
2. Henry Brisebois
3. Conor C. Horgan
4. Magnus Jensen
5. Yue Yuan
6. Shiyue Liu
7. Elzbieta Stepula
8. Steven Vanuytsel
9. Vishal Kumar
10. Stephen Goldrick
11. Robert D. Knight
12. Martin A. B. Hedegaard
13. Michael B. Albro
14. Mads S. Bergholt
15. Michael R. Thomas

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Structural mechanisms of pump assembly and drug transport in the AcrAB-TolC efflux system

1. Xiaofei Ge
2. Zhiwei Gu
3. Jiawei Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Ge et al here report a structural study of the native tripartite multidrug efflux pump complexes from Escherichia coli that identifies a novel accessory subunit, YbjP, the structure of the native TolC-YbjP-AcrABZ complex, as well as structures of the AcrB protein in L, T, and O conformations. The strength of the structural data is compelling, and the importance of the findings is potentially fundamental. However, additional analysis and comparison with pre-existing data would help to put the obtained data and its impact in the proper context, and the inclusion of functional data would help to substantiate some claims that are currently incompletely supported.

Reviewed by eLife

Structural Basis of Cold and Menthol Sensing by TRPM8

1. Hyuk-Joon Lee
2. Cheon-Gyu Park
3. Justin Gerald Fedor
4. Wyatt A. Peele
5. Mario J. Borgnia
6. Seok-Yong Lee

Reviewed by PREreview

Insights into substrate binding and utilization by hyaluronan synthase

1. Zachery Stephens
2. Julia Karasinska
3. Jochen Zimmer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work provides a fundamental molecular mechanism of how a single enzyme can coordinate the ordered assembly of hyaluronan, a complex polysaccharide, from two different building blocks in an alternating pattern. The authors present compelling evidence by combining high-resolution structural data with rigorous biochemical validation to define the underlying process. Major strengths of the study include the clarity and coherence of the mechanistic insights and the complementary use of structural and functional approaches to address the research question.

Reviewed by eLife