eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Transitory enhancement of GATA2 chromatin engagement during early erythroid differentiation

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. John W Hobbs
   2. Samuel J. Taylor
   3. Rajni Kumari
   4. Nayem Haque
   5. Lou Lou Victor
   6. Ulrich Steidl
   7. Robert A. Coleman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study combines single-molecule imaging and CUT&TAG to address the molecular mechanism underlying the differentiation process that initiates the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. The authors provide evidence that the transcription factor GATA2 transiently associates with a new set of genomic loci early in the differentiation process before it is replaced by GATA1. Together, the experiments across three biological systems are solid, but they could benefit from additional details and controls to strengthen the conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Functional Separation of mRNA Domains Coordinates Pluripotent Cell Behavior

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Ze Yang
   2. Shaoyi Ji
   3. Kristina Ivanov
   4. Priyanka Kadav
   5. Mengmeng Song
   6. Leonardi Gozali
   7. Sophie Parsa
   8. Barry Behr
   9. Mary Hynes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides fundamental insights by demonstrating that the Nanog mRNA coding sequence (CDS) and 3′UTR domains are spatially segregated and functionally distinct in pluripotent stem cells and blastocysts, with 3′UTR-enriched border cells primarily influencing morphogenesis and CDS-enriched inner cells largely regulating transcription and epigenetic programs. The work opens a novel conceptual avenue for understanding how separable mRNA domains can differentially control cell behavior and differentiation. However, the evidence is incomplete, as key aspects of the molecular nature, biogenesis, and precise characterization of the separated 3′UTR and CDS RNA species, as well as causal links between their perturbation and the observed phenotypes (e.g., via rescue and deeper characterization of 3′UTR elements), remain to be fully established.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Simplified model of intrinsically bursting neurons

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Nikhil X Bhattasali
   2. Lerrel Pinto
   3. Grace W Lindsay

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors propose a "simplified" model for intrinsically bursting neurons with explicitly controllable parameterization of oscillatory dynamics. The evidence that the modeling approach is generally appropriate and practical for modeling rhythmic bursting neurons and neural circuits is currently incomplete. Based on what the authors present, this model appears to have limited neurobiological relevance and utility but may be useful as a controller for an artificial system, such as in neuro-robotics applications.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Fusion Loop Modified and Mature Dengue Virus Elicits Protective Serum with Minimal Antibody Dependent Enhancement

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Yago R. Dalben
   2. Jacob J. Adler
   3. Rita M. Meganck
   4. Katelyn Duenas
   5. Lisa J. Snoderly-Foster
   6. Longping V. Tse

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     There is a need for better and safer dengue virus live attenuated vaccines. This manuscript describes important findings that could lead to the design of a strongly immunogenic, tetravalent live attenuated vaccine for dengue, without the risk of causing antibody-dependent enhancement. However, the experimental evidence presented is incomplete since only constructions of one serotype were tested to prove the principle.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Macrophages drive inguinal fat pad and lymph node remodelling in response to peripheral inflammation

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Robin Bartolini
   2. Deepika Sharma
   3. Gillian J. Wilson
   4. Gillian Dunphy
   5. Jonathan Cavanagh
   6. Heba A. Halawa
   7. John Cole
   8. Stefan Weidt
   9. Kirstyn Gardner-Stephen
   10. Gerard J Graham

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents potentially important findings linking peripheral inflammation to the remodeling of perinodal adipose tissue and draining lymph nodes, suggesting a mechanism by which local tissue inflammation can reshape LN structure and metabolism. The idea is solid and supported by observations. However, the evidence remains incomplete in parts, as several conclusions rely on correlative weight and cellularity measurements, and macrophage involvement requires further validation.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Peristaltic contractions drive gut anisotropic growth through collective cell rearrangements

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Koji Kawamura
   2. Yoshiko Takahashi
   3. Masafumi Inaba

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a useful study investigating the role of peristalsis in the elongation of the gut, using the chick ceca as a model. The work employs optogenetics together with embryological approaches to establish links between peristaltic muscle contractions and downstream cell behaviors that lead to tube elongation. However, the work is somewhat incomplete, limited in mechanistic insights that would extend beyond prior work in the literature, which has already suggested a role for smooth muscle contractility in avian gut elongation.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Tatton-Brown-Rahman Syndrome-associated DNMT3A mutations de-repress cortical interneuron differentiation to disrupt neuronal network function

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Gareth Chapman
   2. Julianna J. Determan
   3. John R. Edwards
   4. Faiza Batool
   5. James E. Huettner
   6. Ramachandran Prakasam
   7. Sydney R. Crump
   8. Travis E. Law
   9. Haley Jetter
   10. Harrison W. Gabel
   11. Kristen L. Kroll

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important study that develops multiple human iPSC-based models to study the consequences of DNMT3A mutations in Tatton-Brown-Rahman Syndrome. Convincing evidence shows dysregulation of GABAergic interneuron development and function, and the authors identify some of the key signaling mechanisms underlying these changes. This study will be of interest for understanding the functions of DNMT3A in brain development and the causes of neurological dysfunction in Tatton-Brown-Rahman Syndrome.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Auditory-motor surprisal reveals learning across multiple timescales during exploration and production

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Haiqin Zhang
   2. Giorgia Cantisani
   3. Shihab Shamma

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study builds a novel auditory-motor paradigm to investigate how the brain learns associations between movements and their auditory consequences. Solid evidence is provided for early ERPs (50-100 ms latency) reflecting violations of established key-pitch mappings. The writing, however, could be streamlined to better emphasize the paper's key contribution, and some statistical analyses might be improved.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Task-Dependent Motor Unit Recruitment and Rate Coding Reveal Redistribution of Neural Drive in the Human Hand

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Marius Osswald
   2. Jaime Ibáñez
   3. Martin Regensburger
   4. Nick Unbehaun
   5. Alessandro Del Vecchio

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study asked whether the behaviour of motor units from a hand muscle changed across the two mechanical actions it performs. The authors used high-density intramuscular electrodes to record the activity of several motor units and reported changes in motor unit recruitment order across tasks that were not dependent on motor unit properties, suggesting differential spinal contributions to the two actions. However, the evidence supporting their main claims is incomplete, and some of the conclusions are based on unsubstantiated assumptions: the authors should correct several key analyses and temper claims that are not directly backed up by their data.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Collective directional memory controls the range of epithelial cell migration

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Helena Canever
    2. Hugo Lachuer
    3. Quentin Delaunay
    4. François Sipieter
    5. Nicolas Audugé
    6. Philippe P Girard
    7. Nicolas Borghi

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      The authors make the valuable observation that directional memory during epithelial cell migration is enhanced compared to single-cell migration. They attribute this effect to adherens junctions and vinculin dimerization. In the work, central measures should be defined more precisely, and the support for their claims about the roles of adherens junctions and vinculin dimerization in memory enhancement remains incomplete.

      [Editors' note: this paper was previously reviewed by another journal.]

    Reviewed by eLife