Biophysics

Calcineurin-fusion facilitates cryo-EM structure determination of a Family A GPCR

1. Jun Xu
2. Geng Chen
3. Haoqing Wang
4. Sheng Cao
5. Jie Heng
6. Xavier Deupi
7. Yang Du
8. Brian K. Kobilka

Reviewed by Biophysics Colab

Evolutionary divergence of anaphase spindle mechanics in nematode embryos constrained by antagonistic pulling and viscous forces

1. Dhruv Khatri
2. Thibault Brugière
3. Chaitanya A. Athale
4. Marie Delattre

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This work will be of interest to cell biologists studying the mechanism of asymmetric cell division and its diversity across species. Building on their earlier work, the authors show that that there is considerable variability in the mechanics of the spindle among six nematode species studied here. While the authors' main conclusion is plausible - that spindle oscillations require high force and low viscosity - stronger support by the data would be needed.

  (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

Conformational fingerprinting of allosteric modulators in metabotropic glutamate receptor 2

1. Brandon Wey-Hung Liauw
2. Arash Foroutan
3. Michael R Schamber
4. Weifeng Lu
5. Hamid Samareh Afsari
6. Reza Vafabakhsh

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The authors advance our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of allostery in GPCRs by showing the effects of allosteric modulators of mGluR2 on receptor conformation at distinct sites in the presence and absence of orthosteric modulators. This is important as drugs and drug candidates acting outside the site where the orthosteric or endogenous ligands bind are harder to identify. This work provides insights into allosteric changes at the level of individual receptors and provides a new path for drug discovery and is this of interest to colleagues studying GPCRs in health and disease.

  (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, Reviewer 2 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

The Candida albicans virulence factor candidalysin polymerizes in solution to form membrane pores and damage epithelial cells

1. Charles M Russell
2. Katherine G Schaefer
3. Andrew Dixson
4. Amber LH Gray
5. Robert J Pyron
6. Daiane S Alves
7. Nicholas Moore
8. Elizabeth A Conley
9. Ryan J Schuck
10. Tommi A White
11. Thanh D Do
12. Gavin M King
13. Francisco N Barrera

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript is of interest to several fields, in particular to microbiologists and structural biologists interested in pore-forming proteins and peptides. The data presented reveal insights into the mode of action of a newly identified peptide toxin secreted by Candida albicans (candidalysin). Using different techniques the authors propose and test a model for membrane perforation by candidalysin and identify an intriguing inactive mutant. While the presented data supports the main conclusions of the paper some of the initial assumptions need further assessment while the described mutants could benefit from more extensive characterization.

  (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

Effective mechanical potential of cell–cell interaction explains three-dimensional morphologies during early embryogenesis

1. Hiroshi Koyama
2. Hisashi Okumura
3. Atsushi M. Ito
4. Kazuyuki Nakamura
5. Tetsuhisa Otani
6. Kagayaki Kato
7. Toshihiko Fujimori

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  In this manuscript, effective force-distance curves between cells are inferred for various tissues. This study is potentially interesting for researchers interested in tissue dynamics, because computer models of growing cellular tissues are becoming an increasingly important tool to understand experimental data and eventually predict medical interventions.

  (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

Structural motifs for subtype-specific pH-sensitive gating of vertebrate otopetrin proton channels

1. Bochuan Teng
2. Joshua P Kaplan
3. Ziyu Liang
4. Zachary Krieger
5. Yu-Hsiang Tu
6. Batuujin Burendei
7. Andrew B Ward
8. Emily R Liman

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The manuscript shows that OTOP proton channels are proton-gated with distinct pH sensitivities, and identifies regions on the proteins that alter pH-dependent gating. The main claims are well supported by the data. These findings are likely to be of interest to researchers studying acid/base physiology, sensory physiology, or ion channel biophysics.

  (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 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Proton-transporting heliorhodopsins from marine giant viruses

1. Shoko Hososhima
2. Ritsu Mizutori
3. Rei Abe-Yoshizumi
4. Andrey Rozenberg
5. Shunta Shigemura
6. Alina Pushkarev
7. Masae Konno
8. Kota Katayama
9. Keiichi Inoue
10. Satoshi P Tsunoda
11. Oded Béjà
12. Hideki Kandori

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Hososhima et al. characterize a marine virus Heliorhodopsin as the first of its class to show ion transport activity. These bacteriorhodopsin homologs have been recently described and the present careful characterization of V2HeR3 represents an important step in the understanding of these interesting membrane proteins. Though the experiments are carried out carefully and the results, in general, support the conclusions, some experiments are needed and the interpretation of results needs to be clarified.

  (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

Modeling and mechanical perturbations reveal how spatially regulated anchorage gives rise to spatially distinct mechanics across the mammalian spindle

1. Pooja Suresh
2. Vahe Galstyan
3. Rob Phillips
4. Sophie Dumont

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript presents a creative, unique, and well-explained theoretical analysis of the shapes adopted by chromosome-attached microtubule bundles during manipulation with glass microneedles inside dividing cells. The overall conclusion is that the bundles are laterally anchored to other structures in the mitotic apparatus within several micrometers of their chromosome-attached ends, but relatively freer at their pole-proximal ends. This interesting work should appeal broadly to cell biologists and biophysicists.

  (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

Oscillatory movement of a dynein-microtubule complex crosslinked with DNA origami

1. Shimaa A Abdellatef
2. Hisashi Tadakuma
3. Kangmin Yan
4. Takashi Fujiwara
5. Kodai Fukumoto
6. Yuichi Kondo
7. Hiroko Takazaki
8. Rofia Boudria
9. Takuo Yasunaga
10. Hideo Higuchi
11. Keiko Hirose

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The authors describe the reconstitution of axonemal bending using polymerized microtubules, purified outer-arm dyneins, and synthesized DNA origami to cross-link two microtubules. The work is of interest for the field as it shows that bidirectional sliding and bending of microtubules can be generated by a minimal set of elements.

  (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 #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Ancestral acetylcholine receptor β-subunit forms homopentamers that prime before opening spontaneously

1. Christian JG Tessier
2. Raymond M Sturgeon
3. Johnathon R Emlaw
4. Gregory D McCluskey
5. F Javier Pérez-Areales
6. Corrie JB daCosta

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper will be of interest to readers interested ligand-gated ion channels and their evolution. The authors show that ancestral AChR beta subunits reconstructed phylogenetically can form homomeric channels that open spontaneously. The work expands our understanding of agonist-independent AChR gating and highlights intriguing aspects of AChR evolution.

  (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 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife