Latest preprint reviews

1. A system for functional studies of the major virulence factor of malaria parasites

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Jakob Cronshagen
   2. Johannes Allweier
   3. Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
   4. Jan Stäcker
   5. Anna Viktoria Vaaben
   6. Gala Ramón-Zamorano
   7. Isabel Naranjo-Prado
   8. Susann Ofori
   9. Pascal WTC Jansen
   10. Joëlle Hornebeck
   11. Florian Kieferle
   12. Agnes Murk
   13. Elicia Martin
   14. Carolina Castro-Peña
   15. Richárd Bártfai
   16. Thomas Lavstsen
   17. Iris Bruchhaus
   18. Tobias Spielmann

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study introduces an important approach using selection linked integration (SLI) to generate Plasmodium falciparum lines expressing single, specific surface adhesins PfEMP1 variants, enabling precise study of PfEMP1 trafficking, receptor binding, and cytoadhesion. By moving the system to different parasite strains and introducing an advanced SLI2 system for additional genomic edits, this work provides compelling evidence for an innovative and rigorous platform to explore PfEMP1 biology and identify novel proteins essential for malaria pathogenesis including immune evasion.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Pleiotropy increases parallel selection signatures during adaptation from standing genetic variation

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Wei-Yun Lai
   2. Sheng-Kai Hsu
   3. Andreas Futschik
   4. Christian Schloetterer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a study that makes the important finding that pleiotropy is positively associated with parallelism of evolutionary responses in gene expression, while theory would predict the opposite. The analysis uses a state-of-the-art experimental evolution approach to study the genetic basis of adaptation of Drosophila simulans to a hot environment. The experimental data is relevant and its analysis is robust, however, this paper appears to conflate gene expression variation and its underlying causative variation, in both its data interpretation and theoretical framework. This leads to incomplete conclusions on the causal link between pleiotropy and genetic variation and their role during adaptation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Low-dose chemotherapy combined with delayed immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and dynamic monitoring of the drug response in peripheral blood

   This article has 20 authors:

   1. Chaoyang Liang
   2. Qi Song
   3. Wenhao Zhou
   4. Na Li
   5. Qi Xiong
   6. Chaohu Pan
   7. Shaohong Zhao
   8. Xiang Yan
   9. Xiaoling Zhang
   10. Yaping Long
   11. Juntang Guo
   12. Tao Wang
   13. Weiwei Shi
   14. Shengjie Sun
   15. Bo Yang
   16. Zhouhuan Dong
   17. Haitao Luo
   18. Jie Li
   19. Yi Hu
   20. Bo Yang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Liang et al. have conducted a small pilot study investigating the feasibility and tolerability of a regimen of neoadjuvant chemo-immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer; with lower cumulative dose of chemotherapy and with the immunotherapy delivered on D8 of each cycle. The clinical data are interesting and novel, and overall the findings of the study are valuable. However, the translational data and analyses are incomplete and do not support key claims in the title.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Identification and characterization of early human photoreceptor states and cell-state-specific retinoblastoma-related features

   This article has 21 authors:

   1. Dominic W.H. Shayler
   2. Kevin Stachelek
   3. Linda Cambier
   4. Sunhye Lee
   5. Jinlun Bai
   6. Mark W. Reid
   7. Daniel J. Weisenberger
   8. Bhavana Bhat
   9. Jennifer G. Aparicio
   10. Yeha Kim
   11. Mitali Singh
   12. Maxwell Bay
   13. Matthew E. Thornton
   14. Eamon K. Doyle
   15. Zachary Fouladian
   16. Stephan G. Erberich
   17. Brendan H. Grubbs
   18. Michael A. Bonaguidi
   19. Cheryl Mae Craft
   20. Hardeep P. Singh
   21. David Cobrinik

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this paper, the authors use single-cell RNA sequencing to understand post-mitotic cone and rod developmental states and identify cone-specific features that contribute to retinoblastoma genesis. The work is important and the evidence is generally convincing. The findings of rod/cone fate determination at a very early stage are intriguing.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Cdhr1a and pcdh15b link photoreceptor outer segments with inner segment calyceal processes revealing a potential mechanism for cone-rod dystrophy

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Meet K. Patel
   2. Warlen Piedade
   3. Jakub K. Famulski

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This potentially valuable study investigates the interaction of two integral membrane proteins (Cdhr1a and Pcdh15b) and their roles in cone-rod dystrophy. Convincing evidence using loss-of-function mutants demonstrates that both proteins are required for cone maintenance and survival. There is insufficient evidence to support the subcellular localization and the proposed heterodimeric interaction of the two proteins from distinct subcellular compartments. The methodologies are unclear, and the statistical methods and analysis are improperly applied.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Integrator complex subunit 12 knockout overcomes a transcriptional block to HIV latency reversal

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Carley N. Gray
   2. Manickam Ashokkumar
   3. Derek H. Janssens
   4. Jennifer Kirchherr
   5. Brigitte Allard
   6. Emily Hsieh
   7. Terry L. Hafer
   8. Nancie M. Archin
   9. Edward P. Browne
   10. Michael Emerman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Using multiple techniques previously validated by the authors, this study identified INTS12, a component of the Integrator complex involved in 3' processing of small nuclear RNAs U1 and U2, as a factor promoting HIV-1 latency. The work is valuable, based on a sound strategy for screening targets to activate HIV latency and the deep mechanistic insights it provides on INTS12 repression of transcriptional elongation. While the work is solid, authors must address minor weaknesses, including assessing knockdown efficiency and validating the target by examining the impact on cell viability and latency-reversing activity in combination with LRAs other than AZD5582 & I-BET151.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Molecular consequences of acute versus chronic CDK12 loss in prostate carcinoma nominates distinct therapeutic strategies

   This article has 21 authors:

   1. Sander Frank
   2. Thomas Persse
   3. Ilsa Coleman
   4. Armand Bankhead
   5. Dapei Li
   6. Navonil DeSarkar
   7. Divin Wilson
   8. Dmytro Rudoy
   9. Manasvita Vashisth
   10. Patty Galipeau
   11. Michael Yang
   12. Brian Hanratty
   13. Ruth Dumpit
   14. Colm Morrissey
   15. Eva Corey
   16. R. Bruce Montgomery
   17. Michael C. Haffner
   18. Colin Pritchard
   19. Valera Vasioukhin
   20. Gavin Ha
   21. Peter S. Nelson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper aims to understand why prostate cancer with CDK12 loss does not respond to HRd-based therapeutics, such as PARP inhibitors. The work is felt to be fundamental given a thorough computational and genomic analysis, the generation of CDK12-adapted cell lines, and potential synthetic vulnerability to CDK13 loss with genetic knockdown or co-inhibition with a CDK12/13 inhibitor. The evidence is compelling given the authors' systematic testing of components of the CDK12/13 pathways in a number of prostate cancer models. Some weaknesses focused on the functional effect of the various mutations found at different CDK12 sites (loss vs. altered), more comprehensive characterization of CDK12 KO lines, and specificity of the CDK12/13 inhibitor and in vivo experimental schema.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Enhanced bacterial chemotaxis in confined microchannels: Optimal performance in lane widths matching circular swimming radius

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Caijuan Yue
   2. Chi Zhang
   3. Rongjing Zhang
   4. Junhua Yuan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study examines the effects of side-wall confinement on the chemotaxis of swimming bacteria in a shallow microfluidic channel. The authors present solid experimental evidence, combined with geometric analysis and numerical simulations of simplified models, showing that chemotaxis is enhanced when the distance between the side walls is comparable to the intrinsic radius of circular swimming near open surfaces. This study should be of interest to scientists specializing in bacteria-surface interactions.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Increased bone inflammation in type 2 diabetes and obesity correlates with Wnt signaling downregulation and reduced bone strength

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Giulia Leanza
   2. Malak Faraj
   3. Francesca Cannata
   4. Viola Viola
   5. Niccolò Pellegrini
   6. Flavia Tramontana
   7. Claudio Pedone
   8. Gianluca Vadalà
   9. Alessandra Piccoli
   10. Rocky Strollo
   11. Francesca Zalfa
   12. Roberto Civitelli
   13. Mauro Maccarrone
   14. Rocco Papalia
   15. Nicola Napoli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a convincing paper that addresses topics important in our understanding of how inflammatory markers are modulated in both obesity and type 2 diabetes and their effects on Wnt signaling mediators in human bone. There are changes in bone at the tissue level in these 2 common metabolic disorders that ultimately lead to compromised bone strength. These data will be critical to our understanding of the pathophysiology of skeletal fragility in obesity and diabetes.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. STAMBPL1 activates the GRHL3/HIF1A/VEGFA axis through interaction with FOXO1 to promote angiogenesis in triple-negative breast cancer

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Huan Fang
    2. Huichun Liang
    3. Chuanyu Yang
    4. Dewei Jiang
    5. Qianmei Luo
    6. Wenming Cao
    7. Huifeng Zhang
    8. Ceshi Chen

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This article uncovers a new important role of STAMBPL1 in promoting angiogenesis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and elucidates the specific mechanisms by which it activates the GRHL3/HIF1α/VEGFA axis through interaction with FOXO1. The finding that STAMBPL1 mediates GRHL3 transcription through the interaction with FOXO1 is novel. These experimental results corroborate each other, forming a solid foundation of evidence that supports the main findings of the article.

    Reviewed by eLife