Molecular Biology

Nuclear and cytosolic J-domain proteins provide synergistic control of Hsf1 at distinct phases of the heat shock response

1. Carmen Ruger-Herreros
2. Lucia Svoboda
3. Gurranna Male
4. Aseem Shrivastava
5. Markus Höpfler
6. Katharina Jetzinger
7. Jiří Koubek
8. Günter Kramer
9. Fabian den Brave
10. Axel Mogk
11. David S Gross
12. Bernd Bukau

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study focuses on defining how the HSP70 chaperone system utilizes J-domain proteins to regulate the heat shock response-associated transcription factor HSF1. Using a combination of orthogonal techniques in yeast, this manuscript provides compelling evidence that the J-domain protein Apj1 facilitates attenuation of HSF1 transcriptional activity through a mechanism involving its dissociation from heat shock gene promoter regions. This work generates new insight into the mechanism of HSF1 transcriptional regulation and is a significant contribution of broad interest to cell biologists interested in proteostasis, chaperone networks, and stress-responsive signaling.

Reviewed by eLife

Introduction of cytosine-5 DNA methylation sensitizes cells to oxidative damage

1. Joanna Krwawicz
2. Caroline J Sheeba
3. Katie Hains
4. Thomas McMahon
5. Yimo Zhang
6. Skirmantas Kriaucionis
7. Peter Sarkies

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work advances our understanding of DNA methylation and its consequences for susceptibility to DNA damage. This work presents evidence that DNA methylation can accentuate the genomic damage propagated by DNA damaging agents as well as potentially being an independent source of such damage. The experimental results reported are sound. The evidence presented to support the conclusions drawn is convincing and alternative interpretations are considered. The work will be of broad interest to biochemists, cell and genome biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Sld3CBD–Cdc45 structural insights into Cdc45 recruitment for CMG complex formation during DNA replication

1. Hao Li
2. Izumi Ishizaki
3. Koji Kato
4. Xiaomei Sun
5. Sachiko Muramatsu
6. Hiroshi Itou
7. Toyoyuki Ose
8. Hiroyuki Araki
9. Min Yao

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable paper describes the crystal structure of a complex of the Sld3-Cdc45-binding domain (CBD) with Cdc45, which is essential for the assembly of an active Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) double-hexamer at the replication origin. The structural and biochemical analyses of protein-protein interactions and DNA binding provided solid evidence to support the authors' conclusion. The results shown in the paper are of interest to researchers in DNA replication and genome stability.

Reviewed by eLife

Optimised genome editing for precise DNA insertion and substitution using Prime Editors in zebrafish

1. Yosuke Ono
2. Martin Peterka
3. Michael Love
4. Ashish Bhandari
5. Euan Gordon
6. Jonathan S Ball
7. Charles R Tyler
8. Steve Rees
9. Mohammad Bohlooly-Y
10. Marcello Maresca
11. Steffen Scholpp

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents a valuable comparison of the efficiency and precision of two prime editing methods to introduce single-nucleotide variants and longer exogenous DNA sequences into the zebrafish genome. Solid data support the conclusion that the PE2 prime editor Nickase is more effective at introducing single-nucleotide variants, while the PEn prime editor nuclease is more effective at integrating short sequences from 3 up to 30 base pairs, for both somatic and germline editing. The results will be of interest to the zebrafish community, in particular to model human disease variants in this model organism.

Reviewed by eLife

Conformational changes, excess area, and elasticity of the Piezo protein-membrane nanodome from coarse-grained and atomistic simulations

1. Sneha Dixit
2. Frank Noé
3. Thomas R Weikl

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work represents an important contribution to our understanding of how membrane energetics influence protein conformation and function in mechano-sensitive channels. Through extensive molecular dynamics simulations and energetic analysis, the study convincingly demonstrates how the channel structure is shaped by a balance of protein and membrane-induced forces, effectively reconciling experimental data from different membrane environments. This work will appeal broadly to researchers and readers with interests in ion channel structure and function, mechanosensation, and membrane biophysics.

Reviewed by eLife

Proximity Labeling of NIMA Kinase Complex Components in C. elegans

1. David S. Fay
2. Boopathi Balasubramaniam
3. Sean M. Harrington
4. Philip T. Eden

Reviewed by Review Commons

A Short 63-Nucleotide Element Promotes Efficient circRNA Translation

1. Martina Chiara Biagi
2. Andrea Giuliani
3. Alessia Grandioso
4. Irene Bozzoni
5. Gaia Di Timoteo

Reviewed by Review Commons

A TranSNP in the DDIT4 mRNA can impact its translation efficiency and modulate p53-dependent responses in cancer cells

1. Meriem Hadjer Hamadou
2. Laura Alunno
3. Tecla Venturelli
4. Samuel Valentini
5. Davide Dalfovo
6. Francesca Lorenzini
7. Alessia Mattivi
8. Vincenza Vigorito
9. Glenda Paola Grupelli
10. Alessandro Matte’
11. Pamela Gatto
12. Michael Pancher
13. Chiara Valentini
14. Veronica De Sanctis
15. Roberto Bertorelli
16. Virginie Marcel
17. Emilio Cusanelli
18. Stefano Freddi
19. Giovanni Bertalot
20. Sara Zaccara
21. Marina Mione
22. Luca L. Fava
23. Alessandro Romanel
24. Alberto Inga

Reviewed by Review Commons

Single-cell proteomics workflow for characterizing heterogeneous cell populations in saliva and tear fluid

1. Jackson Gabriel Miyamoto
2. Heloísa Monteiro do Amaral-Prado
3. Fábio Malta de Sá Patroni
4. Guilherme Pimentel Telles
5. Carolina Moretto Carnielli
6. Guilherme Araújo Câmara
7. Daniella de Figueiredo
8. Elaine Cristina Cardoso
9. Daniela Campos Granato
10. Alan Roger Santos-Silva
11. Marcio Ajudarte Lopes
12. Adriana Franco Paes Leme

Reviewed by PREreview

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

  This study offers a valuable contribution to the understanding of how inorganic nutrient transporters, particularly SUL1, influence yeast lifespan through signaling pathways rather than transport functions. The findings suggest a novel link between SUL1 deletion and extended replicative lifespan, supported by transcriptomic and stress-response data. However, the strength of the evidence remains incomplete, with key experiments-such as sulfate supplementation tests, functional autophagy validation, and transport assays-either missing or insufficiently described. As a result, while the manuscript presents promising insights, additional work is needed to robustly support its conclusions.

Reviewed by eLife