eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Determining fragility and robustness to missing data in binary outcome meta-analyses, illustrated with conflicting associations between vitamin D and cancer mortality

   This article has 1 author:

   1. David Robert Grimes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript makes a valuable contribution to the concept of fragility of meta-analyses via the so-called 'ellipse of insignificance for meta-analyses' (EOIMETA). The strength of evidence is solid, supported primarily by an example of the fragility of meta-analyses in the association between Vitamin D supplementation and cancer mortality, but the approach could be applied in other meta-analytic contexts. The significance of the work could be enhanced with a more thorough assessment of the impact of between-study heterogeneity, additional case studies, and improved contextualization of the proposed approach in relation to other methods.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Dark matter of an orchid: metagenome of the microbiome associated with the rhizosphere of Dactylorhiza traunsteineri

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Gabriel A Vignolle
   2. Leopold Zehetner
   3. Christian Zimmerman
   4. Domenico F Savio
   5. Ovidiu Paun
   6. Robert L Mach
   7. Astrid R Mach-Aigner
   8. Julien Charest

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a useful overview of the taxonomic composition of the microbiome associated with Dactylorhiza traunsteineri, a widely distributed orchid species in Central Europe. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is incomplete, especially when it comes to the (secondary) metabolic pathways found in the metagenome assembled genomes, and requires more substantial analysis to be able to claim that these pathways play a key role in microbiome-orchid symbiosis.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Hyperactivated Glycolysis Drives Spatially-Patterned Kupffer Cell Depletion in MASLD

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Jia He
   2. Ran Li
   3. Cheng Xie
   4. Xiane Zhu
   5. Keqin Wang
   6. Zhao Shan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors aim to understand why Kupffer cells (KCs) die in metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This is a useful study using in vitro studies and an in vivo genetic mouse model, suggesting that increased glycolysis contributes to KC death in MASLD. However, the data presented are incomplete as some inconsistencies in the results presented are identified in the characterisation of KCs. This work will be of interest to researchers in the immunology and metabolism fields.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. An interneuronal CRH and CRHBP circuit stabilizes birdsong performance

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Bradley M Colquitt
   2. Michael S Brainard

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a useful study that examines the relationship between neuropeptide signaling and the precision of vocal motor output using the songbird as a model system. The study presents evidence based on differential expression patterns and genetic or pharmacological inhibition of various neuropeptide genes for a causal role in song performance; however, this evidence is incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Candida albicans drives colorectal cancer progression by inducing hypoxia signaling

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Wanqiu Wang
   2. Mengqi Yang
   3. Fanglei Gong
   4. Zhenyu Zhang
   5. Yanping Ma
   6. Haihuang Li
   7. Yu Zhao
   8. Changzheng Du
   9. Ningning Li
   10. Guiwei He
   11. Kun Sun

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study examines the role of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans in the progression of colorectal cancer, a relevant and urgent topic given the global incidence of colon cancer. While the findings are useful and provide solid experimental work and insight into how Candida may contribute to tumor progression, the small patient sample size, reliance on in vitro models, and absence of in vivo validation may limit its impact. This work will interest scientists studying cancer progression and the role played by pathogens.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Natural xanthones as α-Mangostin induce vasorelaxation via binding to key gating residues in the S6 domain of BK channels

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Sönke Cordeiro
   2. Robert Patejdl
   3. Thomas Baukrowitz
   4. Marianne Musinszki

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The present manuscript by Cordeiro et al., shows convincing evidence that α-mangostin, a xanthone obtained from the fruit of the Garcinia mangostana tree, behaves as a strong activator of the large-conductance (BK) potassium channels; macroscopic currents and single-channel experiments show that α-mangostin produces an increase in the probability of opening, without affecting the single-channel conductance. The authors put forward that α-mangostin activation of the BK channel is state-independent, and molecular docking and mutagenesis suggest that α-mangostin binds to a site in the internal cavity. Additionally, the authors show that α-mangostin can relax arteries, further suggesting the plausibility of the proposed effects of this compound. These are valuable findings that should be of interest to channel biophysicists and physiologists alike.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. In search of nonlipogenic ABCA1 inducers (NLAI): precision coregulator TR-FRET identifies diverse signatures for LXR ligands

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Megan S Laham
   2. Martha Ackerman-Berrier
   3. Fahmida Alam
   4. Sarah Turner
   5. Ganga Reddy Velma
   6. Christopher Penton
   7. Soumya Reddy Musku
   8. Manan Rana
   9. Senthil Kumar
   10. Anandhan Annadurai
   11. Maha Ibrahim Sulaiman
   12. Nina Ma
   13. Gregory RJ Thatcher

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The study highlights development of a multiplex coregulator TR-FRET (CRT) assay that detects ligands with theoretical full agonist, partial agonist, antagonist, and inverse agonist signatures within the same chemical series. The findings are valuable and will have theoretical and practical implications in the subfield, with respect to guiding the design of non-lipogenic liver X receptor (LXR) agonists. The strength of the evidence is solid, whereby the methods, data, and analyses broadly support the claims with only minor weaknesses that can be dealt with through improvements in the data analysis and the discussion. This study will be of interest to experts working in the areas of pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery in Alzheimer's diseases and dementias.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Three pathways feed the folate-dependent one carbon pool for growth and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Sandra Freier
   2. Sarah Frentzel
   3. Susan Scheffler
   4. Sabrina Wamp
   5. Moritz Müller
   6. Tim Engelgeh
   7. Janina Döhling
   8. Dunja Bruder
   9. Sascha Kahlfuss
   10. Sven Halbedel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The one-carbon tetrahydrofolate metabolism plays a crucial role in producing essential metabolic intermediates. In this study, the authors employ a genetics-based approach to demonstrate that three different metabolic pathways are essential for synthesizing 1C-tetrahydrofolates (1C-THF). Disrupting any of these pathways impairs both growth and virulence. Although the work presented is valuable, the experimental evidence remains incomplete without direct quantification of folate intermediates.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Endogenous corazonin signaling modulates the post-mating switch in behavior and physiology in females of the brown planthopper and Drosophila

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Ning Zhang
   2. Shao-Cong Su
   3. Ruo-Tong Bu
   4. Yi-Jie Zhang
   5. Lei Yang
   6. Jie Chen
   7. Dick R Nässel
   8. Cong-Fen Gao
   9. Shun-Fan Wu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study presents convincing evidence that uncovers a novel signaling axis impacting the post-mating response in females of the brown planthopper. The findings open several avenues for testing the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms of mating behavior in insects, although broad concerns remain about the relevance of some claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Brain Perfusion Imaging of a Large Population: Arterial Spin Labelling MRI in UK Biobank

    This article has 13 authors:

    1. Thomas W. Okell
    2. Xinyi Xu
    3. Martin Craig
    4. Fidel Alfaro-Almagro
    5. David L. Thomas
    6. Enrico De Vita
    7. Steve Garratt
    8. Thomas E. Nichols
    9. Matthias Günther
    10. Paul M. Matthews
    11. Karla L. Miller
    12. Stephen M. Smith
    13. Michael A. Chappell

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This important study reports on the relationships between cerebral haemodynamics and a number of factors that relate to genetics, lifestyle, and medical history using data from a large cohort. Compelling evidence suggests that brief arterial spin labelling MRI acquisition can lead to both expected observations about brain health, as manifested in cerebral blood flow, and biomarkers for use in diagnosis and treatment monitoring. The results can be used as a starting point for hypothesis generation and further evaluation of conditions expected to affect haemodynamics in the brain.

    Reviewed by eLife