Molecular Biology

Mapping the molecular motions of 5-HT3 serotonin-gated channel by voltage-clamp fluorometry

1. Laurie Peverini
2. Sophie Shi
3. Karima Medjebeur
4. Pierre-Jean Corringer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study applies voltage clamp fluorometry to provide new information about the function of serotonin-gated ion channels 5-HT3AR. The authors convincingly investigate structural changes inside and outside the orthosteric site elicited by agonists, partial agonists, and antagonists, helping to annotate existing cryo-EM structures. This work confirms that the activation of 5-HT3 receptors is similar to other members of this well-studied receptor superfamily. The work will be of interest to scientists working on channel biophysics but also drug development targeting ligand-gated ion channels.

Reviewed by eLife

Malaria parasite resistance to azithromycin is not readily transmitted by mosquitoes

1. Hayley D. Buchanan
2. Robyn McConville
3. Lee M. Yeoh
4. Michael F. Duffy
5. Justin A. Boddey
6. Geoffrey I. McFadden
7. Christopher D. Goodman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important work addressed the identifcation of antimalarial drug resistance mutations that do not readily transmit to new human hosts, focusing on azithromycin resistance. The technically challenging analyses of azithromycin-resistant parasites as they traverse the mosquito host and human liver are conducted using state-of-the-art tools, including humanized mice. While the claim regarding the lack of transmission by atovaquone-resistant P. berghei is convincing, the evidence for the lack of transmission by atovaquone-resistant P. falciparum is insufficient. This work will appeal to biologists and biomedical scientists in parasitology and drug discovery, offering insights into combating antimalarial drug resistance and understanding the fitness costs associated with drug-resistant parasites.

Reviewed by eLife, Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases

Preeclampsia in mice carrying fetuses with APOL1 risk variants

1. Teruhiko Yoshida
2. Khun Zaw Latt
3. Shashi Shrivastav
4. Huiyan Lu
5. Kimberly J. Reidy
6. Jennifer R. Charlton
7. Yongmei Zhao
8. Cheryl A. Winkler
9. Sandra E. Reznik
10. Avi Z. Rosenberg
11. Jeffrey B. Kopp

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Intronic polyadenylation isoforms in the 5’ part of genes constitute a source of microproteins and are involved in cell response to cisplatin

1. Alexandre Devaux
2. Iris Tanaka
3. Mandy Cadix
4. Amélie Heneman-Masurel
5. Sophie Michallet
6. Quentin Fouilleul
7. Alina Chakraborty
8. Céline M. Labbe
9. Nicolas Fontrodona
10. Jean-Baptiste Claude
11. Marc Deloger
12. Pierre Gestraud
13. Ludovic Tessier
14. Hussein Mortada
15. Sonia Lameiras
16. Virginie Raynal
17. Sylvain Baulande
18. Nicolas Servant
19. Didier Auboeuf
20. Béatrice Eymin
21. Stéphan Vagner
22. Martin Dutertre

Reviewed by Review Commons

N-cadherin directs the collective Schwann cell migration required for nerve regeneration through Slit2/3-mediated contact inhibition of locomotion

1. Julian JA Hoving
2. Elizabeth Harford-Wright
3. Patrick Wingfield-Digby
4. Anne-Laure Cattin
5. Mariana Campana
6. Alex Power
7. Toby Morgan
8. Erica Torchiaro
9. Victor Quereda
10. Alison C Lloyd

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents an interesting set of findings that connects N-cadherin and glypican-4 to Slit signaling during the regulation of contact inhibition of locomotion of Schwann cells in culture. Solid evidence is provided showing that N-cadherin not only regulates cell recognition but also proper trafficking of Slit to the cell surface. An ex-vivo model demonstrates the importance of Slit signaling during cell migration but the molecular details of how N-cadherin traffics Slit to the surface and role of glypican are unclear. The data would have been strengthened with a similar interrogation of N-cadherin in this system. The work will be of interest to cell biologists studying the mechanisms behind peripheral nervous system regeneration.

Reviewed by eLife

Deletion of sulfate transporter SUL1 extends yeast replicative lifespan via reduced PKA signaling instead of decreased sulfate uptake

1. Juan Long
2. Meng Ma
3. Yuting Chen
4. Bo Gong
5. Yi Zheng
6. Hao Li
7. Jing Yang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The study by Long et al. presents valuable findings on the role of the SUL1 gene in yeast longevity, proposing that lifespan extension can occur through signaling pathways independent of its sulfate transport function, offering new insights into aging mechanisms with potential implications beyond yeast biology. However, the evidence supporting the uncoupling of SUL1's transport and signaling functions is inadequate, relying on limited lifespan analysis without measurements for nutrients and nutrient signaling status. This research is of particular interest to the aging research community, although additional experiments are needed to fully substantiate the claims.

Reviewed by eLife

Perturbations in eIF3 subunit stoichiometry alter expression of ribosomal proteins and key components of the MAPK signaling pathways

1. Anna Herrmannová
2. Jan Jelínek
3. Klára Pospíšilová
4. Farkas Kerényi
5. Tomáš Vomastek
6. Kathleen Watt
7. Jan Brábek
8. Mahabub Pasha Mohammad
9. Susan Wagner
10. Ivan Topisirovic
11. Leoš Shivaya Valášek

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study demonstrates mRNA-specific regulation of translation by subunits of the eukaryotic initiation factor complex 3 (eIF3) using convincing methods, data, and analyses. The investigations have generated important information that will be of interest to biologists studying translation regulation. However, the physiological significance of the gene expression changes that were observed is not clear.

Reviewed by eLife

PURA syndrome-causing mutations impair PUR-domain integrity and affect P-body association

1. Marcel Proske
2. Robert Janowski
3. Sabrina Bacher
4. Hyun-Seo Kang
5. Thomas Monecke
6. Tony Koehler
7. Saskia Hutten
8. Jana Tretter
9. Anna Crois
10. Lena Molitor
11. Alejandro Varela-Rial
12. Roberto Fino
13. Elisa Donati
14. Gianni De Fabritiis
15. Dorothee Dormann
16. Michael Sattler
17. Dierk Niessing

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study addresses the mechanisms by which mutations in the PURA protein, a regulator of gene transcription and mRNA transport and translation, cause the neurodevelopmental PURA syndrome. Based on convincing evidence from structural biology, molecular dynamics simulation, biochemical, and cell biological analyses, the authors show that the PURA structure is very dynamic, rendering it generally sensitive to structure-altering mutations that affect its folding, DNA-unwinding activity, RNA binding, dimerization, and partitioning into processing bodies. These findings are of substantial importance to cell biology, neurogenetics, and neurology alike, because they provide first insights into how very diverse PURA mutations can cause similar and penetrant molecular, cellular, and clinical defects.

Reviewed by eLife

Transcription promotes the restoration of chromatin following DNA replication

1. Susanne Bandau
2. Vanesa Alvarez
3. Hao Jiang
4. Sarah Graff
5. Ramasubramanian Sundaramoorthy
6. Matt Toman
7. Tom Owen-Hughes
8. Simone Sidoli
9. Angus Lamond
10. Constance Alabert

Reviewed by Review Commons

Small RNAs from mitochondrial genome recombination sites are incorporated into T. gondii mitoribosomes

1. Sabrina Tetzlaff
2. Arne Hillebrand
3. Nikiforos Drakoulis
4. Zala Gluhic
5. Sascha Maschmann
6. Peter Lyko
7. Susann Wicke
8. Christian Schmitz-Linneweber

Reviewed by Review Commons