eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. PSD-95 drives binocular vision maturation critical for predation

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Subhodeep Bhattacharya
   2. Livia J.F. Wilod Versprille
   3. Cornelia Schöne
   4. Oliver M. Schlüter
   5. Siegrid Löwel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study describes significant differences in prey capture behavior between PSD-95 knock-out and wild-type mice, despite prior work by the same authors showing only modest visual deficits in the former. The data convincingly demonstrated prey capture performance in PSD-95 knock-out mice to improve under monocular viewing conditions. However, this finding alone was inadequate to support the interpretation of results as revealing a deficit in binocular visual integration, especially given the lack of eye and head tracking data or consideration of alternative explanations for the observed behavior.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Transition of Staphylococcus aureus tetracycline resistance plasmid pT181 from independent multicopy replicon to predominantly integrated chromosomal element over 65 years

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Megan A. Phillips
   2. Robert A. Petit
   3. Daniel B. Weissman
   4. Timothy D. Read

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Using genome databases, the authors performed solid bioinformatic analyses to trace the genomic history of the clinically relevant Staphylococcus aureus tetracycline resistance plasmid pT181 over the last seven decades. They discovered that this element has transitioned from a multicopy plasmid to a chromosomally integrated element, and the work represents a valuable demonstration of the use of publicly available data to investigate plasmid biology and inform clinical epidemiology. This work will appeal to researchers interested in staphylococcal evolution and plasmid biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. A proteome-wide biochemical screen defines binding determinants of the core autophagy protein LC3B

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Jennifer Kosmatka
   2. Cong Liu
   3. Jackson C. Halpin
   4. Daniel Lim
   5. Joseph H. Davis
   6. Amy E. Keating

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study is a valuable contribution that comprehensively identifies and characterizes LC3B-binding peptides through a bacterial cell-surface display screen covering approximately 500,000 human peptides. The data presented are solid, although this approach has limitations (e.g., it cannot assess the effects of post-translational modifications, which are often important for LIR-mediated interactions). Validation of the newly identified binding peptides by demonstrating their interactions with full-length proteins in cells would further strengthen this manuscript.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Juvenile reinstatement of TCF4 in Pitt-Hopkins syndrome model mice reveals a critical window for genetic intervention

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Lucas M. James
   2. Carlee A. Friar
   3. Siyuan Liang
   4. Eric B. Gao
   5. Alain. C. Burette
   6. Benjamin D. Philpot

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important study that identifies the developmental time window during which re-expression of TCF4 mutated in Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, can rescue phenotypic features of brain function in a TCF4 knockout mouse. The study presents compelling data using a viral transgenic intersection approach to show that TCF4 expression is required early in perinatal life. These findings have implications for the timing of possible gene therapy in people with Pitt-Hopkins-associated TCF4 mutations.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Synaptotagmin-7 is required for synchronous but not asynchronous facilitation of glutamate release at cortical boutons

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Dimitris Kotzadimitriou
   2. Helen Langley
   3. Eleanor McGowan
   4. Philipe R. F. Mendonca
   5. Erica Tagliatti
   6. Yulia Timofeeva
   7. Shyam S. Krishnakumar
   8. Kirill E. Volynski

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work substantially advances our understanding of the role of synaptotagmin-7 (Syt7) in short-term plasticity at cortical glutamatergic synapses. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with rigorous and elegant quantal-level iGluSnFR imaging and failure-based analyses at single boutons. The work will be of broad interest to synaptic physiologists and molecular biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. A translational transcriptomic signature of vaccine reactogenicity for the evaluation of novel formulations

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Jérémie Becker
   2. Maroussia Roelens
   3. Kendra Reynaud
   4. Laurent Beloeil

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study proposes a cross-species transcriptomic framework to predict vaccine reactogenicity, with implications for preclinical vaccine safety assessment. The findings show that mouse muscle transcriptomic signatures capture conserved inflammatory programs and can identify highly reactogenic formulations, with supportive but limited evidence for finer discrimination among licensed human vaccines. Overall, the work establishes a valuable foundation for translational biomarkers of reactogenicity, although the strength of evidence for broad cross-species predictive performance remains incomplete and would benefit from further validation.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Cul5 ^Wsb2 uses BCL2 proteins as co-receptors to target Bim for degradation

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Wilhelm Vaysse-Zinkhöfer
   2. Enya Marie Catherine Alcindor
   3. Nicholas Garaffo
   4. David Paul Toczyski

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The study presents a valuable finding on the ubiquitin-dependent regulatory loop in which proapoptotic Bim is targeted to the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cul5-Wsb2-mediated degradation through its sequestration by BCL2 proteins. The conclusions are supported by incomplete evidence and would benefit from additional experiments addressing both the mechanistic understanding and the physiological/cancer-related significance of the study.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Adaptation of an herbivorous arthropod to green tea plants by overcoming catechin defenses

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Naoki Takeda
   2. Brendan Abiskaroon
   3. Ricardo Hernandez Arriaza
   4. Ryutaro Murakami
   5. Shogo Sasaki
   6. Masanobu Yamamoto
   7. Vladimir Zhurov
   8. Vojislava Grbić
   9. Maksymilian Chruszcz
   10. Takeshi Suzuki

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides mechanistic evidence that tea-adapted two-spotted spider mite overcomes green tea catechin defenses via the horizontally transferred dioxygenase TkDOG15, supporting a two-step adaptation model, combining enzyme refinement and inducible upregulation. The evidence is convincing because multi-omics signals converge with functional validation (RNAi knockdown and recombinant enzyme assays) and well-controlled behavioral/toxicity assays to link TkDOG15 activity and expression to survival and feeding on tea.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. A Structural Code for Assembly Specificity in GID/CTLH-Type E3 Ligases

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Pia Maria van gen Hassend
   2. Hermann Schindelin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This structural biology study provides insights into the assembly of the GID/CTLH E3 ligase complex. The multi-subunit complex forms unique, ring shaped assemblies and the findings presented here describe a "specificity code" regulates formation of subunit interfaces. The data supporting the conclusions are convincing, both in thoroughness and rigor. This study will be valuable to biochemists, structural biologists, and could lay foundation for novel designed protein assemblies.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. A novel RAB5 binding site in human VPS34-CII that is likely the primordial site in eukaryotic evolution

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Saule Spokaite
    2. Yohei Ohashi
    3. Maxime Bourguet
    4. Antoine Nicolas Dessus
    5. Roger L Williams

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This convincing study examines a novel interaction of RAB5 with VPS34 complex II. Structural data are combined with site-directed mutagenesis, sequence analysis, biochemistry, yeast mutant analysis, and prior data on RAB1-VPS34 and RAB5-VPS34 interactions to provide a new perspective on how RAB GTPases recruit related but distinct VPS34 complexes to different organelles. Although minor revisions are recommended, the judgment is that this work represents a fundamental advance in our understanding of VPS34 localization and regulation.

    Reviewed by eLife