Molecular Biology

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

RNA Structure Directs RNA Partitioning and is Actively Disrupted inside Stress Granules to Enable Cellular Recovery

1. Bowen Zhu
2. Jovi Jian An Lim
3. Yu Zhang
4. Wen Ting Tan
5. Jiayi Zhang
6. Joy S Xiang
7. Roland Huber
8. Anthony Khong
9. Yue Wan

Reviewed by preLights

A High-Throughput Multiwell-Plate based Approach for the combined Expression, Export and Assay of Recombinant Proteins

1. Karen Baker
2. Daniel P. Mulvihill

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

MRTF-dependent cytoskeletal dynamics drive efficient cell cycle progression

1. Julie C. Nielsen
2. Maria Benito-Jardon
3. Noel Christo Petrela
4. Jessica Diring
5. Sofie Bellamy
6. Richard Treisman

Reviewed by Review Commons

SETD2 suppresses tumorigenesis in a KRASG12C-driven lung cancer model, and its catalytic activity is regulated by histone acetylation

1. Ricardo J Mack
2. Natasha M Flores
3. Geoffrey C Fox
4. Hanyang Dong
5. Metehan Cebeci
6. Simone Hausmann
7. Tourkian Chasan
8. Jill M Dowen
9. Brian D Strahl
10. Pawel K Mazur
11. Or Gozani

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a fundamental study providing molecular insight into how cross-talk between histone modifications regulates the histone H3K36 methyltransferase SETD2. The manuscript contains excellent quality data, and the conclusions are convincing and justified. This work will be of interest to many biochemists working in the field of chromatin biology and epigenetics.

Reviewed by eLife