Cell Biology

Co-option of lysosomal machinery shapes the symbiosis supporting coral reefs

1. Shumpei Maruyama
2. Catherine F Henderson
3. Natalie Swinhoe
4. Griffin P Kowalewski
5. Emily K Meier
6. Ty R Engelke
7. Phillip A Cleves

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Organelle membrane-associated proteins recruit cGAS via phase separation to facilitate its membrane localization

1. Chengrui Shi
2. Chaofei Su
3. Kaixiang Zhang
4. Hang Yin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This useful study investigates how intrinsically disordered domains can interact to dictate the sub-cellular localization of a major innate immune sensor termed cGAS. The data from various cellular and biochemical assays are mostly solid, but the main conclusions from these experiments need to be validated further. This paper is relevant to immunologists, especially those interested in cytosolic DNA-sensing pathways.

Reviewed by eLife

Explainable machine learning-assisted exploration of chromatin dynamics reveals chromosome-specific response to serum starvation

1. Taras Redchuk
2. Antti Pennanen
3. Harri Jäälinoja
4. Olli Natri
5. Lassi Paavolainen
6. Maria K Vartiainen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This interesting study adapts machine learning tools to analyze movements of a chromatin locus in living cells in response to serum starvation. The machine learning approach developed is useful, the experiments are well controlled, and the data are solid. The study would be greatly strengthened by testing key predictions made using perturbation experiments. This work will be of interest to those studying chromosome biology and gene expression patterns.

Reviewed by eLife

The RAB27A effector SYTL5 regulates mitophagy and mitochondrial metabolism

1. Ana Lapão
2. Lauren Sophie Johnson
3. Laura Trachsel-Moncho
4. Samuel J Rodgers
5. Sakshi Singh
6. Matthew YW Ng
7. Sigve Nakken
8. Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen
9. Anne Simonsen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study by Lapao et al. uncovers a novel role for the Rab27A effector SYTL5 in regulating mitochondrial function and mitophagy under hypoxic conditions. Using a range of imaging and functional assays, the authors demonstrate that SYTL5 localizes to mitochondria in a Rab27A-dependent manner and impacts mitochondrial respiration and metabolic reprogramming. While the findings are solid and valuable in the area of cancer biology, further mechanistic clarity and improved imaging would strengthen the conclusions.

Reviewed by eLife

JIP4 deficiency causes a lysosomal storage disease arising from impaired cystine efflux

1. Layla M. Nassar
2. Xiaojian Shi
3. Agnes Roczniak-Ferguson
4. Hongying Shen
5. Shawn M. Ferguson

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Stress response of membrane-based cell organelles in budding yeast

1. Sheng Peng
2. Bai Li-zhe
3. Cao Hong
4. Li Dan

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Cell membrane glycan contents are biochemical factors that constitute a kinetic barrier to viral particle uptake in a protein-nonspecific manner

1. Yoshihisa Kaizuka
2. Rika Machida

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental work substantially advances our understanding of how the glycocalyx of cells provide a non-specific barrier for the interaction of viruses with cell-surface receptors. Using both in vitro experiments and in vivo manipulations they provide compelling evidence for the properties of the glycocalyx to serve as an energy barrier as a main attribute of its mode of action. The work will be of broad interest to virologists and the cell biology community that studies host-pathogen interactions.

Reviewed by eLife

Tracking maternal proteins uncovers a central role for the residual body in organelle recycling during Toxoplasma gondii replication

1. Julia von Knoerzer-Suckow
2. Parnian Sazegar
3. Javier Periz
4. Simon Gras
5. Markus Meissner

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents valuable new insights into the patterns of organelle inheritance in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. An innovative dual-labeling approach used in this study to track maternal-derived and de novo synthesized organelles provides a technical advance with potential to be more broadly applied. Solid evidence is provided that different organelles show distinct inheritance fates during cell replication; however, the data describing the residual body component in this process is incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

When mitochondria fall apart: Unbalanced mitochondrial segregation triggers loss of mtDNA in the absence of mitochondrial fusion

1. Lisa Dengler
2. Francesco Padovani
3. Bianca Lemke
4. Rebecca Brugger
5. Benedikt Westermann
6. Boris Maček
7. Kurt M. Schmoller
8. Jennifer C. Ewald

Reviewed by Review Commons

A GCN1-independent activator of the kinase GCN2

1. JiaYi Zhu
2. Giulia Emanuelli
3. Glenn R Masson
4. Vanesa Vinciauskaite
5. Henriette Willems
6. Andrew Lim
7. Christopher Alan Brown
8. David Winpenny
9. Murray Clarke
10. Rebecca Gilley
11. Fergus Preston
12. Jordan Wilson
13. Aldo Bader
14. Taufiq Rahman
15. Joseph E Chambers
16. John Skidmore
17. Nicholas W Morrell
18. Stefan J Marciniak

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents a screen for small-molecule activators of the kinase GCN2 that phosphorylates the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) in response to diverse stress stimuli. Among the compounds identified, one stands out as a potent activator that functions independently of GCN1, which is important for probing mechanisms of Integrated Stress Response regulation and may have translational relevance in the context of pathogenic GCN2 mutations. While some reviewers found the biochemical analyses convincing, others viewed the cellular evidence as limited, particularly with respect to time points, endogenous readouts, and broader cell-type validation, which prevents a clear assessment of the compound's potential potency in a physiological context.

Reviewed by eLife