Molecular Biology

A platform for lab management, note-keeping and automation

1. Aubin Fleiss
2. Alexander S. Mishin
3. Karen S. Sarkisyan

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Ribosomal RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase I is subject to premature termination of transcription

1. Chaïma Azouzi
2. Katrin Schwank
3. Sophie Queille
4. Marta Kwapisz
5. Marion Aguirrebengoa
6. Anthony Henras
7. Simon Lebaron
8. Herbert Tschochner
9. Annick Lesne
10. Frédéric Beckouët
11. Olivier Gadal
12. Christophe Dez

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This manuscript characterizes a mutated clone of RNA polymerase I in yeast, referred to as SuperPol, to understand the mechanisms of RNA polymerase I elongation and termination. The authors present convincing evidence that demonstrates the existence of premature termination in Pol I transcription. Overall, the characterization of this RNA pol I offers important insights into the regulation of ribosomal RNA transcription and its potential application in cancer pharmacology.

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

Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

Single-cell profiling of trabecular meshwork identifies mitochondrial dysfunction in a glaucoma model that is protected by vitamin B3 treatment

1. Nicholas Tolman
2. Taibo Li
3. Revathi Balasubramanian
4. Guorong Li
5. Rebecca Pfeiffer
6. Violet Bupp-Chickering
7. Ruth A Kelly
8. Marina Simón
9. John Peregrin
10. Christa Montgomery
11. Bryan Jones
12. W Daniel Stamer
13. Jiang Qian
14. Simon WM John

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides a fundamental advancement in our understanding of trabecular meshwork cell diversity and its role in eye pressure regulation and glaucoma using multimodal single-cell analysis, spatial validation, and functional testing that go beyond the current state-of-the-art. The study demonstrates that mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically in one of three distinct cell subtypes (TM3), contributes to elevated IOP in a genetic mouse model of glaucoma carrying a mutation in the transcription factor Lmx1b. While the identification of TM3 cells as metabolically specialized is compelling, there is somewhat limited evidence linking mitochondrial dysfunction to the Lmx1b mutation in TM3 cells.

Reviewed by eLife

Loss of nephronophthisis-associated nephrocystin-1 impairs DNA damage repair in kidney organoids

1. E. Sendino Garví
2. S. Biermans
3. N.V.A.M. Knoers
4. A.M. van Eerde
5. R. Masereeuw
6. G.G. Slaats
7. A.M. van Genderen
8. M.J. Janssen

Reviewed by PREreview

Insight into the bioactivity and action mode of betulin, a candidate aphicide from plant metabolite, against aphids

1. Junxiu Wang
2. Matthana Klakong
3. Qiuyu Zhu
4. Jinting Pan
5. Yudie Duan
6. Lirong Wang
7. Yong Li
8. Jiangbo Dang
9. Danlong Jing
10. Hong Zhou

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study identifies a plant-derived metabolite, betulin, as an effective natural insecticide against aphids and uncovers its specific molecular target. The evidence is compelling, combining greenhouse and field efficacy trials with rigorous molecular, genetic, and electrophysiological approaches that converge on a conserved binding site in the aphid GABA receptor. While additional work is needed to fully assess potential off-target effects and ecological safety, the study provides a strong mechanistic foundation. These findings will be of interest to researchers in plant biology, chemical ecology, and sustainable pest management.

Reviewed by eLife

Uncovering Shared and Tissue-Specific Molecular Adaptations to Intermittent Fasting in Liver, Brain, and Muscle

1. Yibo Fan
2. Senuri De Silva
3. Nishat I Tabassum
4. Xiangyuan Peng
5. Vernise Lim
6. Xiangru Cheng
7. Keshava K Datta
8. Rohan Lowe
9. Terrance G Johns
10. Mark P Mattson
11. Suresh Mathivanan
12. Christopher G Sobey
13. Eitan Okun
14. Yong U Liu
15. Guobing Chen
16. Mitchell KP Lai
17. Dong-Gyu Jo
18. Jayantha Gunaratne
19. Thiruma V Arumugam

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a solid paper on intermittent fasting that will be of interest to readers. The data presented are certainly valuable as a resource. The findings of both shared and tissue-specific signatures, both at the proteomic and transcriptomic levels, align well with what has been established and bring new insight into metabolic adaptation and its consequences in muscle, cortex, and liver.

Reviewed by eLife

The Ketogenic Diet Metabolite β-Hydroxybutyrate Promotes Mitochondrial Elongation via Deacetylation and Improves Autism-like Behavior in Zebrafish

1. Golam M. Uddin
2. Rachel Lacroix
3. Mashiat Zaman
4. Iman Al Khatib
5. Amit Jaiswal
6. Jong M. Rho
7. Deborah M. Kurrasch
8. Timothy E. Shutt

Reviewed by Review Commons

Phenotypic impact of individual conserved neuronal microexons and their master regulators in zebrafish

1. Laura Lopez-Blanch
2. Cristina Rodríguez-Marin
3. Federica Mantica
4. Luis P Iñiguez
5. Jon Permanyer
6. Elizabeth M Kita
7. Tahnee Mackensen
8. Mireia Codina-Tobias
9. Francisco Romero-Ferrero
10. Jordi Fernandez-Albert
11. Myriam Cuadrado
12. Xosé R Bustelo
13. Gonzalo de Polavieja
14. Manuel Irimia

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work examines how microexons contribute to brain activity, structure, and behavior. The authors find that loss of microexon sequences generally has subtle impacts on these metrics in larval zebrafish, with few exceptions. The evidence is convincing, using modern high-throughput phenotyping methodology in zebrafish. Overall, this work will be of interest to neuroscientists and generate further studies of interest to the field.

Reviewed by eLife

Brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle coordinately contribute to thermogenesis in mice

1. Yuna Izumi-Mishima
2. Rie Tsutsumi
3. Tetsuya Shiuchi
4. Saori Fujimoto
5. Momoka Taniguchi
6. Mizuki Sugiuchi
7. Manaka Tsutsumi
8. Yuko Okamatsu-Ogura
9. Takeshi Yoneshiro
10. Masashi Kuroda
11. Kazuhiro Nomura
12. Hiroshi Sakaue

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a useful paper regarding the roles of brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in thermogenesis in mice, with potential significance for the field. The overall approach is innovative but on balance the evidence for the claim is incomplete, as cast immobilization, while innovative, is likely stressful, may impact muscle and BAT directly, and imposes an energetic cost of motion on the animal that is not accounted for. Further experiments are also needed to directly assess the role of adipose-derived BCAAs in thermogenesis. The authors have done a good job of textually editing their manuscript to clarify the findings and limitations of the study.

Reviewed by eLife

Global molecular landscape of early MASLD progression in obesity

1. Qing Zhao
2. William De Nardo
3. Ruoyu Wang
4. Yi Zhong
5. Umur Keles
6. Gabrielé Sakalauskaite
7. Li Na Zhao
8. Huiyi Tay
9. Sonia Youhanna
10. Mengchao Yan
11. Ye Xie
12. Youngrae Kim
13. Sungdong Lee
14. Rachel Liyu Lim
15. Guoshou Teo
16. Pradeep Narayanaswamy
17. Paul R. Burton
18. Volker M. Lauschke
19. Hyungwon Choi
20. Matthew J. Watt
21. Philipp Kaldis

Reviewed by Review Commons