Latest preprint reviews

1. Differences in HIV-1 reservoir size, landscape characteristics and decay dynamics in acute and chronic treated HIV-1 Clade C infection

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Kavidha Reddy
   2. Guinevere Q. Lee
   3. Nicole Reddy
   4. Tatenda J.B. Chikowore
   5. Kathy Baisley
   6. Krista L. Dong
   7. Bruce D. Walker
   8. Xu G. Yu
   9. Mathias Lichterfeld
   10. Thumbi Ndung’u

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important, clearly written, and timely manuscript links the timing of ART with the kinetics of total and intact proviral HIV DNA. The conclusions are interesting and somewhat novel, and the importance of the work is high because the focus is on African women and clade C virus, both of which are understudied in the HIV reservoir field. The strength of the evidence is convincing though some definitions could be more precise and in some places the data could be reported slightly more clearly. Overall, this work will be of very high interest to scientists and clinicians in the HIV cure/persistence fields.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. The microbiome interacts with the circadian clock and dietary composition to regulate metabolite cycling in the gut

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Yueliang Zhang
   2. Yongjun Li
   3. Sara B. Noya
   4. Amita Sehgal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents useful findings about daily rhythm changes of the Drosophila melanogaster adult gut metabolome, which is shown to be dependent on the fly microbiota, diet, and genotype. The phenomena observed are supported by solid experimental evidence, however, there are limitations regarding the analysis and a deeper interpretation of results would improve the manuscript. An absence of mechanistic functional investigation limits the power of the proposed conclusions. The experiments are currently incomplete as the effect of food intake timing was not directly addressed by measuring the quantity and timing of food consumption. The authors should strongly consider including the model organism used in the study in the title of the manuscript to reflect the work. This study will be of interest to physiologists of circadian biology and nutrition.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. The nanoscale organization of the Nipah virus fusion protein informs new membrane fusion mechanisms

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Qian Wang
   2. Jinxin Liu
   3. Yuhang Luo
   4. Vicky Kliemke
   5. Giuliana Leonarda Matta
   6. Jingjing Wang
   7. Qian Liu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is a valuable paper that uses super-resolution microscopy to show the nanoclustering of the Nipah virus fusion protein on cell and viral membranes. Some of the conclusions regarding the clustering of viral fusion proteins is supported by solid biochemical and super-resolution imaging data while other conclusions such as significance for viral fusion mechanisms is not fully supported by the data provided.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Capsaicin acts as a novel NRF2 agonist to suppress ethanol induced gastric mucosa oxidative damage by directly disrupting the KEAP1-NRF2 interaction

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Xiaoning Gao
   2. WuYan Guo
   3. Peiyuan Liu
   4. Mingyue Yuwen
   5. Zixiang Liu
   6. Ruyang Tan
   7. Kairui Liu
   8. Zhiru Yang
   9. Junli Ba
   10. Xue Bai
   11. Shiti Shama
   12. Cong Tang
   13. Kai Miao
   14. Haozhi Pei
   15. Liren Liu
   16. Cheng Zhu
   17. Tao Wang
   18. Bo Zhang
   19. Jun Kang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study suggests that capsaicin nanoparticle administration in rats activates the transcription factor Nrf2 by directly binding to its repressor KEAP1, leading to cytoprotective gene induction, and preventing alcohol-induced gastric damage, an avenue to treat alcoholism-related gastric disorders. The evidence is currently incomplete as there is no experimental proof that capsaicin exerts its cytoprotective effects via Nrf2, and not via any of its multiple known pharmacological effects. In particular, Nrf2-deficient mice should be used to show that Nrf2 is causal to the cytoprotective effect, and better controls should be provided for the direct KEAP2-capsaicin interaction, given the high concentrations used.

   Reviewed by eLife

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

   This article has 4 authors:

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

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • 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

6. TMEM16 and TMEM63/OSCA proteins share a conserved potential to permeate ions and phospholipids

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Augustus J. Lowry
   2. Pengfei Liang
   3. Y.C. Serena Wan
   4. Zhen-Ming Pei
   5. Huanghe Yang
   6. Yang Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript finds evidence for a latent capability in several members of the TMEM16 and OSCA/TMEM family of ion channels for lipid scramblase activity. The authors demonstrate that the introduction of lysine mutations in evolutionarily conserved areas of TM4 can confer constitutive ion conduction and scramblase activity. Although the significance and scope of the work are important, the strength of the evidence is incomplete and could be improved.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. The actomyosin system is essential for the integrity of the endosomal system in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Fabian Link
   2. Sisco Jung
   3. Xenia Malzer
   4. Felix Zierhut
   5. Antonia Konle
   6. Alyssa Borges
   7. Christopher Batters
   8. Monika Weiland
   9. Mara Pöllmann
   10. An Binh Nguyen
   11. Johannes Kullmann
   12. Claudia Veigel
   13. Markus Engstler
   14. Brooke Morriswood

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study builds on a previous publication (with partially overlapping authors), demonstrating that T. brucei has a continuous endomembrane system, which probably facilitates high rates of endocytosis. Using a range of cutting-edge approaches, the authors present compelling evidence that an actomyosin system, with the myosin TbMyo1 as the molecular motor, is localized close to the endosomal system in the bloodstream form (BSF) of Trypanosoma brucei. It shows convincingly that actin is important for the organization and integrity of the endosomal system, and that the trypanosome Myo1is an active motor that interacts with actin and transiently associates with endosomes, but a role of Myo1 in endomembrane function in vivo was not directly demonstrated. This work should be of interest to cell biologists and microbiologists working on the cytoskeleton, and unicellular eukaryotes.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Dynamic chromatin architecture identifies new autoimmune-associated enhancers for IL2 and novel genes regulating CD4+ T cell activation

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Matthew C. Pahl
   2. Prabhat Sharma
   3. Rajan M. Thomas
   4. Zachary Thompson
   5. Zachary Mount
   6. James Pippin
   7. Peter A. Morawski
   8. Peng Sun
   9. Chun Su
   10. Daniel J. Campbell
   11. Struan F.A. Grant
   12. Andrew D. Wells

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents a useful characterization of 3D chromosome conformation changes in activated T lymphocytes, linking risk variants for autoimmune disease to putative target genes. The study employs solid methods and approaches and demonstrates the utility of using chromatin conformation to understand gene regulatory processes. However, the same data modality (chromatin conformation) was previously generated by another group in the same model system, and a more in-depth comparison of results would have improved the utility of this study.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Additional feedforward mechanism of Parkin activation via binding of phospho-UBL and RING0 in trans

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Dipti Lenka
   2. Shakti Dahe
   3. Odetta Antico
   4. Pritiranjan Sahoo
   5. Alan R. Prescott
   6. Miratul M. K. Muqit
   7. Atul Kumar

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is a valuable manuscript describing the competitive binding between the RING2 and phosphorylated Ubl domains within Parkin involved in the regulation of Parkin activity. The evidence supporting this conclusion is incomplete, as it primarily relies on a single biochemical assay and does not utilize more stringent, quantitative biophysical approaches to probe this competitive binding. This work will be of interest to the research communities focused on the molecular basis of ubiquitin ligase regulation, PINK-PARKIN-regulated mitophagy, and mitochondrial quality control.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. A High-Quality Chromosome-Level Assembly Genome Provides Insights into Wing Dimorphism and Xenobiotic Detoxification in Metopolophium Dirhodum (Walker)

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Bin Zhu
    2. Rui Wei
    3. Wenjuan Hua
    4. Lu Li
    5. Wenlin Zhang
    6. Pei Liang
    7. Xiwu Gao

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study presents an important finding on the molecular mechanism for transduction of environmentally induced polyphenism. The evidence supporting the claims of the author is incomplete due to limited sample sizes and inadequate analysis. This paper would be of interest to those studying aphids wing dimorphism.

    Reviewed by eLife