Biophysics

A Modified ACE2 peptide mimic to block SARS-CoV2 entry

1. Suman Saurabh
2. Shubh Sanket Purohit

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Muscle-specific economy of force generation and efficiency of work production during human running

1. Sebastian Bohm
2. Falk Mersmann
3. Alessandro Santuz
4. Arno Schroll
5. Adamantios Arampatzis

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper is of interest to scientists within the field of motor control and biomechanics studying human locomotion. The work provides evidence for the optimization of muscle function during locomotion depending on the specific biomechanical constraints. The overall methodology is sound and data are properly analyzed, although the in vivo measurements required a complex experimental setup together with sophisticated modeling which on the one hand conclusively support the key claims of the paper for the experiment within this paper, on the other hand weakens the generalizability of the results.

  (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

Variations of intracellular density during the cell cycle arise from tip-growth regulation in fission yeast

1. Pascal D Odermatt
2. Teemu P Miettinen
3. Joël Lemière
4. Joon Ho Kang
5. Emrah Bostan
6. Scott R Manalis
7. Kerwyn Casey Huang
8. Fred Chang

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This article contributes to the fundamental understanding of how a cell grows. It provides a broadly applicable method for dry mass measurement of single cells and, using it, it describe how cell density varies accross the cell division cycle. The key finding of this article is the fact that growth in mass and volume seem to be generally uncoupled, leading to significant density changes.

  (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

Ciliary chemosensitivity is enhanced by cilium geometry and motility

1. David Hickey
2. Andrej Vilfan
3. Ramin Golestanian

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The authors consider how the geometry and motility of cilia affect their performance in detecting chemicals in the surrounding fluid. Based on a theoretical model, the authors suggest that the distinctive elongated shape of a cilium may be coupled to its sensory function. The conjectures presented in this work are likely to be of interest to a wide readership, but whether this actually applies to real biological systems requires more careful validation.

  (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

Probing the effect of clustering on EphA2 receptor signaling efficiency by subcellular control of ligand-receptor mobility

1. Zhongwen Chen
2. Dongmyung Oh
3. Kabir Hassan Biswas
4. Ronen Zaidel-Bar
5. Jay T Groves

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  These data provide in vivo evidence for a previously described kinetic-proofreading mechanism in phase-separated condensates. The strength is being able to compare the impacts of clustering of signaling molecules with a non-clustered control in the same cell. The limitations are that there is not necessarily new biological insight gained and the effects reported are surprisingly modest compared with expectations from reconstituted systems. This paper will be of broad interest to scientists who study membrane-associated cell signaling.

  (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

Allosteric communication in DNA polymerase clamp loaders relies on a critical hydrogen-bonded junction

1. Subu Subramanian
2. Kent Gorday
3. Kendra Marcus
4. Matthew R Orellana
5. Peter Ren
6. Xiao Ran Luo
7. Michael E O'Donnell
8. John Kuriyan

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper will be of interest not only to scientists working in the primary field of DNA replication, but also to molecular biologists employing deep mutagenesis as well as structural biologists interested in the functions of the broader class of AAA+ ATPase molecular machines. The work examines relationships between protein sequence, structure and function in the bacteriophage T4 clamp-clamp loader complex, a highly studied AAA+ ATPase that deposits ring-shaped proteins onto DNA to support DNA polymerase processivity and DNA replication. The clamp loader system is revealed to have a high tolerance to amino acid substitution, with little correlation between permitted substitutions and phylogenetic variation. A hitherto unrecognized residue in the clamp loader, which appears to be shared among certain AAA+ ATPase members, is identified as critical for the maintenance of a functional structure and for allosteric coupling. The key claims of the paper are well supported by the data presented, and the employed methodology has undergone rigorous validation. Although a few control studies are still needed, this is a novel and significant paper overall.

  (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

Structural Basis for Allosteric Control of the SERCA-Phospholamban Membrane Complex by Ca ²⁺ and cAMP-dependent Phosphorylation

1. Daniel K. Weber
2. Máximo Sanz-Hernández
3. U. Venkateswara Reddy
4. Songlin Wang
5. Erik K. Larsen
6. Tata Gopinath
7. Martin Gustavsson
8. Razvan L. Cornea
9. David D. Thomas
10. Alfonso De Simone
11. Gianluigi Veglia

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  There are many of membrane-embedded mini-proteins, which fulfill a large range of regulatory functions. One of them is phospholamban, a single transmembrane helix protein that regulates the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase by binding in the membrane. The work presented here combines new experiments with computer simulations with the aim of arriving at a more definitive answer to the long-standing mechanistic question of how exactly phosphorylation of phospholamban modulates its regulatory behavior. In this manuscript, an allosteric mechanism is presented, which could be of general importance for the whole family of these mini-proteins.

  (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

A Brownian ratchet model for DNA loop extrusion by the cohesin complex

1. Torahiko L Higashi
2. Georgii Pobegalov
3. Minzhe Tang
4. Maxim I Molodtsov
5. Frank Uhlmann

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This work combines experiments and simulations together with previously reported biophysical and structural observations to develop a structure-based model that provides mechanistic insight into the two functions of cohesin: cohesion and loop extrusion. This intriguing and informative manuscript will be of broad interest to those working in the fields of chromatin structure, chromosome biology and molecular machines. While the data and analysis support the authors' conclusions, the presentation of the work can be improved for clarity.

  (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

SSNA1 stabilizes dynamic microtubules and detects microtubule damage

1. Elizabeth J Lawrence
2. Goker Arpag
3. Cayetana Arnaiz
4. Marija Zanic

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  In this manuscript, Lawrence et al. investigate the direct effects of the microtubule-associated protein, SSNA1, on microtubule dynamics and damage using purified proteins and TIRF microscopy. The authors conclude that SSNA1 is a microtubule stabilizing protein and a sensor of microtubule damage. This paper is of high interest to scientists within the field of microtubule mechanics and of broad interest to scientists studying cilia, cell division and neuronal development.

  (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

Extracellular Vimentin as a Target Against SARS‐CoV‐2 Host Cell Invasion

1. Łukasz Suprewicz
2. Maxx Swoger
3. Sarthak Gupta
4. Ewelina Piktel
5. Fitzroy J. Byfield
6. Daniel V. Iwamoto
7. Danielle Germann
8. Joanna Reszeć
9. Natalia Marcińczyk
10. Robert J. Carroll
11. Paul A. Janmey
12. J. M. Schwarz
13. Robert Bucki
14. Alison E. Patteson

Reviewed by Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases, PREreview, ScreenIT