eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Abnormal shear stress induces ferroptosis in endothelial cells via KLF6 downregulation

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Jingang Cui
   2. Zhiyu Fan
   3. Suoqi Ding
   4. Jiazhen Zhang
   5. Huihong Shen
   6. Syeda Armana Zaidi
   7. Yongsheng Ding

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable findings on the role of KLF6 in in vitro endothelial cells exposed to altered (high or low) shear stress with a customized microfluidic device to investigate mechanisms of atherosclerosis. The finding that altered shear stress results in endothelial cell ferroptosis through reduced expression of KLF6 is compelling and adds a new layer of complexity to the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic plaques. However, the inclusion of an arterial cell line and re-evaluation of the statistical tests used would strengthen the authors' conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Unbend: Correction of local beam-induced sample motion in cryo-EM images using a 3D spline model

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Lingli Kong
   2. Ximena Zottig
   3. Johannes Elferich
   4. Nikolaus Grigorieff

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper describes Unbend - a new method for measuring and correcting motions in cryo-EM images, with a particular emphasis on more challenging in situ samples such as lamella and whole cells. The method, which fits a B-spline model using cross-correlation-based local patch alignment of micrograph frames, represents a valuable tool for the cryo-EM community. The authors elegantly use 2D template matching to provide solid evidence that Unbend outperforms the previously reported method of Unblur by the same authors. The paper would benefit from the inclusion of a similar analysis for established alternative methods, such as MotionCor2.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. A Novel 3D Visualization Method in Mice Identifies the Periportal Lamellar Complex (PLC) as a Key Regulator of Hepatic Ductal and Neuronal Branching Morphogenesis

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Tongtong Xu
   2. Fujun Cao
   3. Ruihan Zhou
   4. Qin Chen
   5. Jian Zhong
   6. Yulin Wang
   7. Chaoxin Xiao
   8. Banglei Yin
   9. Chong Chen
   10. Chengjian Zhao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study identifies the Periportal Lamellar Complex (PLC), an important new structure revealed by a novel 3D imaging method. However, the evidence supporting its distinct cellular identity and functional role is currently incomplete, as it relies on transcriptomic re-analysis and correlation without direct experimental validation. Addressing the key issues of methodological rigor and providing functional evidence is essential to fully substantiate these significant claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Integrated Respirometry and Metabolomics Unveil Circadian Metabolic Dynamics in Drosophila

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Farheen Akhtar
   2. Dania Malik
   3. Arjun Sengupta
   4. Paula Haynes
   5. Jaco Klok
   6. Amita Sehgal
   7. Aalim M. Weljie

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study investigates how sleep loss and circadian disruption affect whole-organ metabolism in flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and reports that wild-type flies align metabolism in anticipation of diurnal rhythm, while mutant flies with impaired sleep or circadian function shift to reactive or misaligned metabolism. The integration of chamber-based flow-through respirometry with LC-MS metabolomics is innovative, and the significance of the findings is valuable. However, the strength of evidence needed to support the conclusions is incomplete based on concerns regarding the inappropriate use of constant darkness to disrupt circadian rhythms and the lack of details justifying the methods used to correlate respirometry data with whole-body metabolomics.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Mechanistic insights into transcriptional regulation of ARHGAP36 expression identify a factor predictive of neuroblastoma survival

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Serhiy Havrylov
   2. Armin M Gamper
   3. Ordan J Lehmann

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study examines the potential role of ARHGAP36 transcriptional regulation by FOXC1 in controlling sonic hedgehog signaling in human neuroblastoma. While there are many solid findings that strongly support this signaling pathway, there are some aspects of the study that are underdeveloped.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Redox Dyshomeostasis Links Renal and Neuronal Dysfunction in Drosophila Models of Gaucher and Parkinson’s Disease

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Alexander J Hull
   2. Magda L Atilano
   3. Kerri J Kinghorn

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a valuable manuscript that reframes Gaucher's disease pathology through the analysis of renal health, using a Drosophila model mutant for glucocerebrosidase (GBA1). The authors provide physiological and cellular data showing that renal dysfunction may be a critical disease-modifying feature. This work broadens the field's focus beyond the nervous system to include systemic ionic regulation as a potential contributor to disease initiation and progression. The genetic and experimental approaches are solid and offer a rationale for investigating analogous dysfunction in human tissues; however, several claims extend beyond the presented evidence and would benefit from additional experimental support to fully support the conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Accessibility of the unstructured α-tubulin C-terminal tail is controlled by microtubule lattice conformation

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Takashi Hotta
   2. Morgan L Pimm
   3. Ezekiel C Thomas
   4. Yang Yue
   5. Patrick DeLear
   6. Lynne Blasius
   7. Michael Cianfrocco
   8. Morgan DeSantis
   9. Ryota Horiuchi
   10. Takumi Higaki
   11. David Sept
   12. Ryoma Ohi
   13. Kristen J Verhey

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental work reveals that the accessibility of the unstructured C-terminal tails of α- and β-tubulins differs with the state of the microtubule lattice. Their accessibility increases with the expansion of the lattice induced by GTP and certain MAPs, which can then dictate the subsequent interactions between MAPs and microtubules, and post-translational modifications of tubulin tails. The evidence supporting the conclusion is compelling, although the characterisation of the probes does not answer whether they directly affect the lattice or expose the C-terminal tails of tubulin. This work will be of great interest to the cytoskeleton field.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Cryo-EM Reveals Regulatory Mechanisms Governing Substrate Selection and Activation of Human LONP1

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Jeffrey T Mindrebo
   2. Lauren Alexandrescu
   3. Jennifer R Baker
   4. Garret Wang
   5. Gabriel C Lander

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents EM structures of new conformational states of the LONP1 AAA+ protease in conjunction with the mitochondrial protein substrates (StAR, TFAM), along with biochemical functional assays. The EM structures revealed new conformational states in a closed configuration. The structures and associated functional results are solid. However, a notable weakness is the absence of substrates found threaded through the ATPase pores.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Earliest Evidence of Elephant Butchery at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) Reveals the Evolutionary Impact of Early Human Megafaunal Exploitation

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
   2. Enrique Baquedano
   3. Abel Moclán
   4. David Uribelarrea
   5. Alejandro Velázquez-Tello
   6. José Ángel Correa Cano
   7. Fernando Diez-Martín
   8. Elia Organista
   9. Eduardo Mendez-Quintas
   10. Marina Vegara-Riquelme
   11. Agness Gidna
   12. Audax Mabulla

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, the authors present traces of bone modification on ~1.8 million-year-old proboscidean remains from Tanzania, which they infer to be the earliest evidence for stone-tool-assisted megafaunal consumption by hominins. Challenging published claims, the authors argue that persistent megafaunal exploitation roughly coincided with the earliest Achulean tools. Notwithstanding the rich descriptive and spatial data, the behavioral inferences about hominin agency rely on traces (such as bone fracture patterns and spatial overlap) that are not unequivocal; the evidence presented to support the inferences thus remains incomplete. Given the implications of the timing and extent of hominin consumption of nutritious and energy-dense food resources, as well as of bone toolmaking, the findings of this study will be of interest to paleoanthropologists and other evolutionary biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Mutational and Expression Profile of ZNF217, ZNF750, ZNF703 Zinc Finger Genes in Kenya Women diagnosed with Breast Cancer

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Michael Kitoi
    2. John Gitau
    3. Godfrey Wagutu
    4. Kennedy Mwangi
    5. Florence Ngonga
    6. Francis Makokha

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study presents a valuable finding on mutations in ZNF217, ZNF703, and ZNF750 through 23 breast cancer samples alongside matched normal tissues in Kenyan breast cancer patients. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, yet the analysis of the manuscript lacks methodological transparency, statistical detail, and sufficient comparison with existing large-scale datasets. The work will be of interest to medical biologists and scientists working in the field of breast cancer.

    Reviewed by eLife