Genetics

Microbiota impact Drosophila ageing via Acetobacter, Tachykinin, and TkR99D

1. Diana Marcu
2. David R Sannino
3. Anthony J Dornan
4. Rita Ibrahim
5. Atharv Kapoor
6. Miriam Wood
7. Adam J Dobson

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study demonstrates that in Drosophila melanogaster, tachykinin (Tk) expression is regulated by the microbiota. The authors present convincing evidence that axenic flies raised with no microbiota are longer-lived than conventionally reared animals, and that Tk expression and Tk receptors in the nervous system are required for this effect. They further test individual bacterial strains for their role in these effects and connect the effect to loss of lipid stores and suggest that FOXO may be involved in the phenotype, results that are of interest to the fields of environmental perception, host microbiome interactions, and geroscience.

  [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

Differential functions of upstream and intronic HOT regions shape dlg-1 transcription and C. elegans development

1. Cristina Tocchini
2. Fanny Eggeler
3. Palmer Bassett
4. Susan E. Mango

Reviewed by Review Commons

Nucleosome positioning shapes cryptic antisense transcription

1. Jian Yi Kok
2. Zachary H. Harvey
3. Elin Axelsson
4. Frédéric Berger

Reviewed by Review Commons

Redox Dyshomeostasis Links Renal and Neuronal Dysfunction in Drosophila Models of Gaucher and Parkinson’s Disease

1. Alexander J Hull
2. Magda L Atilano
3. Kerri J Kinghorn

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a valuable manuscript that reframes Gaucher's disease pathology through the analysis of renal health, using a Drosophila model mutant for glucocerebrosidase (GBA1). The authors provide physiological and cellular data showing that renal dysfunction may be a critical disease-modifying feature. This work broadens the field's focus beyond the nervous system to include systemic ionic regulation as a potential contributor to disease initiation and progression. The genetic and experimental approaches are solid and offer a rationale for investigating analogous dysfunction in human tissues; however, several claims extend beyond the presented evidence and would benefit from additional experimental support to fully support the conclusions.

Reviewed by eLife

BICC1 interacts with PKD1 and PKD2 to drive cystogenesis in ADPKD

1. Uyen Tran
2. Andrew J Streets
3. Devon Smith
4. Eva Decker
5. Annemarie Kirschfink
6. Lahoucine Izem
7. Jessie M Hassey
8. Briana Rutland
9. Manoj K Valluru
10. Jan Hinrich Bräsen
11. Elisabeth Ott
12. Daniel Epting
13. Tobias Eisenberger
14. Albert CM Ong
15. Carsten Bergmann
16. Oliver Wessely

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presented valuable findings regarding the basic molecular pathways leading to the cystogenesis of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, suggesting BICC1 functions as both a minor causative gene for PKD and a modifier of PKD severity. Solid data were supplied to demonstrate the functional and structural interactions between BICC-1, PC1 and PC2, respectively. The characterization of such interactions remains to be developed further, which renders the specific relevance of these findings for the etiology of relevant diseases unclear.

Reviewed by eLife

Independent validation of transgenerational inheritance of learned pathogen avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans

1. Aalimah Akinosho
2. Joseph Alexander
3. Kyle Floyd
4. Andres Gabriel Vidal-Gadea

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study concerns a model for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, the learned avoidance by C. elegans of the PA14 pathogenic strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A recent study questioned whether transgenerational inheritance in this paradigm lacks robustness. The authors of this study have worked independently of the group that reported the original phenomenon and also independently of the group that challenged the original report. With solid data, this study independently validates findings previously reported by the Murphy group, confirming that the paradigm is reproducible elsewhere. The reviewers also appreciated the information on reagent sources used by different groups. The present study is therefore of broad interest to anyone studying genetics, epigenetics, or learned behavior.

Reviewed by eLife

Decapping activators Edc3 and Scd6 act redundantly with Dhh1 in post-transcriptional repression of starvation-induced pathways

1. Rakesh Kumar
2. Fan Zhang
3. Shreyas Niphadkar
4. Chisom Onu
5. Anil Kumar Vijjamarri
6. Miriam L Greenberg
7. Sunil Laxman
8. Alan G Hinnebusch

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study reports on the redundant roles of the decapping activators Edc3 and Scd6 in orchestrating post-transcriptional programs to modulate metabolic responses to nutrients in yeast. The authors employed mutagenesis studies in conjunction with a battery of transcriptome-wide analyses to provide convincing evidence supporting their conclusions. Considering the broad implications of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, this study will be of interest across a variety of biomedical disciplines ranging from biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology to those specializing in studying various pathologies.

Reviewed by eLife

Mapping of in vivo cleavage sites uncovers a major role for yeast RNase III in regulating protein-coding genes

1. Lee-Ann Notice-Sarpaning
2. Mathieu Catala
3. Catherine Stuart
4. Sherif Abou Elela
5. Ambro van Hoof

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study expands the inventory of polyadenylated RNAs cleaved by the double-stranded RNA endonuclease Rnt1 in budding yeast, using solid methodology based on high-throughput sequencing. Previous studies had anecdotally discovered mRNA substrates, and this global characterization is comprehensive with multiple complementary controls. This study sets the stage for deeper investigations into the biological function of Rnt1 and substrate cleavage.

Reviewed by eLife

Assessing target genes for homing suppression gene drive

1. Xuejiao Xu
2. Jialing Fang
3. Jingheng Chen
4. Jie Yang
5. Xiaozhen Yang
6. Shibo Hou
7. Weitang Sun
8. Jackson Champer

Reviewed by Review Commons

Genetic Modifiers Influencing the Acute and Long-Term Responses to Traumatic Brain Injury in Drosophila

1. Brandon Molina
2. Jesse Jacob Rojas
3. Nadja El-Mecharrafie
4. Eric P Ratliff
5. Marta Lipinski
6. Kim Diane Finley

Reviewed by PREreview