Molecular Biology

JAK-STAT pathway activation compromises nephrocyte function in a Drosophila high-fat diet model of chronic kidney disease

1. Yunpo Zhao
2. Jianli Duan
3. Joyce van de Leemput
4. Zhe Han

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents important new insights linking obesity to kidney disease using a Drosophila model. A series of compelling experiments demonstrated that a high-fat diet induces the excretion of a leptin-like JAK-STAT ligand from the fat body, driving the adipose-nephrocyte axis through activated JAK-STAT signaling and subsequently causing a functional defect in nephrocytes. While the combination of genetic tools and pharmacological intervention provides solid data and confirms the mechanistic link, the phenotypic analysis is restricted to tracer endocytosis and would benefit from immunofluorescence studies and higher animal numbers.

Reviewed by eLife

Inhibition of miR-199b-5p reduces pathological alterations in osteoarthritis by potentially targeting Fzd6 and Gcnt2

1. Tong Feng
2. Qi Zhang
3. Si-Hui Li
4. Yan-ling Ping
5. Mu-qiu Tian
6. Shuan-hu Zhou
7. Xin Wang
8. Jun-Meng Wang
9. Fan-Rang Liang
10. Shu-Guang Yu
11. Qiao-Feng Wu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study reports that miR-199b-5p is elevated in human osteoarthritis patients. There is solid evidence for the finding that inhibiting miR-199b-5p alleviates symptoms in mice with knee osteoarthritis. Additionally, potential targets of miR-199b-5p are identified but whether miR-199b-5p truly functions through Fzd6 and/or Gcnt2 requires further investigation.

Reviewed by eLife

Whole blood transcriptional profiles and the pathogenesis of tuberculous meningitis

1. Hoang Thanh Hai
2. Le Thanh Hoang Nhat
3. Trinh Thi Bich Tram
4. Do Dinh Vinh
5. Artika P Nath
6. Joseph Donovan
7. Nguyen Thi Anh Thu
8. Dang Van Thanh
9. Nguyen Duc Bang
10. Dang Thi Minh Ha
11. Nguyen Hoan Phu
12. Ho Dang Trung Nghia
13. Le Hong Van
14. Michael Inouye
15. Guy E Thwaites
16. Nguyen Thuy Thuong Thuong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  In this valuable study, the authors investigate the transcriptional landscape of tuberculous meningitis. They reveal potentially significant molecular differences contributed by HIV co-infection, and derive a prognostic model to predict mortality combining a gene expression signature with clinical parameters. Whilst some of the evidence presented is compelling, the bioinformatics analysis remains limited and cannot be used to make causal inferences and conclusions about immunopathogenesis for tuberculous meningitis. The work will be of broad interest to the infectious disease community however, further validation of the findings is critical for future utility.

Reviewed by eLife

CDKs-mediated phosphorylation of PNKP is required for end-processing of single-strand DNA gaps on Okazaki Fragments and genome stability

1. Kaima Tsukada
2. Tomoko Miyake
3. Rikiya Imamura
4. Kotaro Saikawa
5. Mizuki Saito
6. Naoya Kase
7. Masamichi Ishiai
8. Yoshihisa Matsumoto
9. Mikio Shimada

Reviewed by Review Commons

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rev7 promotes non-homologous end-joining by blocking Mre11 nuclease and Rad50’s ATPase activities and homologous recombination

1. Sugith Badugu
2. Kshitiza M. Dhyani
3. Manoj Thakur
4. Kalappa Muniyappa

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript reports important data on the interaction of Rev7 with the Rad50-Mre11-Xrs2 complex in budding yeast providing evidence that a 42 amino acid region of Rev7 is necessary and sufficient for interaction. Rev7 is found to inhibit the Rad50 ATPase and the Mre11 nuclease activities, with the exception of the ssDNA exonuclease activity. Overall, the study is incomplete: controls are lacking, there is little evidence to support the conclusion about DSB repair pathway usage, and the work on the role of Mre11 in G4 metabolism is underdeveloped.

Reviewed by eLife

OGT prevents DNA demethylation and suppresses the expression of transposable elements in heterochromatin by restraining TET activity genome-wide

1. Hugo Sepulveda
2. Xiang Li
3. Xiaojing Yue
4. J. Carlos Angel
5. Leo J. Arteaga-Vazquez
6. Caitlin Brown
7. Melina Brunelli
8. Natasha Jansz
9. Fabio Puddu
10. Jamie Scotcher
11. Páidí Creed
12. Patrick Kennedy
13. Cindy Manriquez
14. Samuel A Myers
15. Robert Crawford
16. Geoffrey J. Faulkner
17. Anjana Rao

Reviewed by preLights

Regulated mRNA recruitment in dinoflagellates is reflected in hyper-variable mRNA spliced leaders and novel eIF4Es

1. Grant D. Jones
2. Ernest P. Williams
3. Saddef Haq
4. Tsvetan R. Bachvaroff
5. M. Basanta Sanchez
6. Allen R. Place
7. Rosemary Jagus

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study provides previously unappreciated insights into the functions of protist eIF4E 5'mRNA cap-binding protein family members, thereby contributing to a better understanding of translation regulation in these organisms. The authors provide solid evidence to support the major conclusions of the article. However, the study may further benefit from establishing whether all of the eIF4E family members are indeed involved in translation and more direct evidence for the selectivity of their binding.

Reviewed by eLife

Clusters of lineage-specific genes are anchored by ZNF274 in repressive perinucleolar compartments

1. Martina Begnis
2. Julien Duc
3. Sandra Offner
4. Delphine Grun
5. Shaoline Sheppard
6. Olga Rosspopoff
7. Didier Trono

Reviewed by preLights

The substrate-binding domains of the osmoregulatory ABC importer OpuA transiently interact

1. Marco van den Noort
2. Panagiotis Drougkas
3. Cristina Paulino
4. Bert Poolman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The OpuA Type I ABC importer uses two substrate binding domains to capture extracellular glycine betaine and present the substrate to the transmembrane domain for subsequent transport and correction of internal dehydration. This study presents valuable findings addressing the question of whether the two substrate binding domains of OpuA dock and physically interact in a salt-dependent manner. The single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer and cryogenic electron microscopy data that are presented provide convincing support for the existence of a transient interaction between the substrate binding domains that depends on ionic strength, laying a foundation for future studies exploring how this interaction is involved in the overall transport mechanism.

Reviewed by eLife

Circadian oscillation of perireceptor events influence olfactory sensitivity in diurnal and nocturnal mosquitoes

1. Tanwee Das De
2. Julien Pelletier
3. Satyajeet Gupta
4. Madhavinadha Prasad Kona
5. Om P. Singh
6. Rajnikant Dixit
7. Rickard Ignell
8. Krishanpal Karmodiya

Reviewed by Review Commons