eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Contractile peri-nuclear actomyosin network repositions peripheral and polar chromosomes to promote early kinetochore-microtubule interactions

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Nooshin Sheidaei
   2. John K Eykelenboom
   3. Zuojun Yue
   4. Graeme Ball
   5. Alexander JR Booth
   6. Tomoyuki U Tanaka

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study demonstrates that a peri-nuclear actomyosin network, present in some types of human cells, facilitates kinetochore-spindle attachment of chromosomes in unfavorable locations - thereby suppressing their missegregation rate. This actomyosin network and its general role have been studied previously, but this study convincingly clarifies the underlying mechanism using a light-controlled perturbation and detailed tracking of kinetochore movement. The generality of the mechanism could be further supported by confirming the findings in non-synchronized cells and additional cell lines. The results may have implications for understanding chromosome missegregation in cancer cells.

     [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

   Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

2. Nuclear export governs TDP-43 phase transitions and cytoplasmic aggregation

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Natalie Chin
   2. Qi Zhang
   3. Jizhong Zou
   4. Ken Chih-Chien Cheng
   5. Wei Zheng
   6. Yihong Ye

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable findings implicating nuclear export in the regulation of protein condensate behaviour and TDP-43 phase behaviour, suggesting a link to pathogenic aggregation in ALS/FTD. However, the research relies extensively on synthetic, non-physiological protein variants and a homozygous disease model, with limited mechanistic validation, leading to conclusions that remain largely correlative. Furthermore, limitations in the reporting of experimental replication and controls, as well as inconsistencies between cancer cell and neuronal models, diminish confidence in the robustness of the findings. Despite its technical strengths, the findings presented are currently incomplete and do not provide sufficient evidence to substantiate claims about the direct role of nuclear export in pathological protein aggregation and disease.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. PKMζ-PKCι/λ double-knockout demonstrates atypical PKC is crucial for the persistence of hippocampal LTP and spatial memory

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Panayiotis Tsokas
   2. Changchi Hsieh
   3. Alejandro Grau-Perales
   4. Andrew Tcherepanov
   5. Leo Kwok
   6. Laura Melissa Rodriguez-Valencia
   7. David A. Cano
   8. Kim D. Allen
   9. Hannah J. H. Smith
   10. Sabina Kubayeva
   11. Benson J. Wei
   12. Samuel Sabzanov
   13. Rafael E. Flores-Obando
   14. Sourav Ghosh
   15. Peter John Bergold
   16. Jerry Rudy
   17. James E. Cottrell
   18. André Antonio Fenton
   19. Todd Charlton Sacktor

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study addresses the unresolved and long-debated question of whether atypical protein kinase C is required for the maintenance of synaptic potentiation and long-term memory. The results confirm previous findings that persistent activity of PKMζ is required for lasting potentiation of hippocampal synapses and spatial memory. The study also adds new genetic evidence to support the earlier suggestion that enhanced expression of PKC iota/lambda compensates for the genetic reduction of PKM zeta to support synaptic potentiation and memory; however, the results as currently presented were viewed as incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Constraints on the G1/S transition pathway may favor selection of multicellularity as a passenger phenotype

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Tom Louis Ducrocq
   2. Damien Laporte
   3. Bertrand Daignan-Fornier

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study implicates that changes in cell regulation may contribute to the evolution of multicellularity. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with rigorous methods used to test alternative hypotheses. The work will be of broad interest to cell and evolutionary biologists and those studying the cell cycle and cancer.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Impacts of mutation accumulation and order on tumor initiation revealed by engineered murine colorectal cancer organoids

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Yanping Li
   2. Xiaoxin Xie
   3. Daqi Deng
   4. Zhiyuan Sun
   5. Zhaoan Huang
   6. Yisen Tang
   7. Liang Fang
   8. Wei Chen
   9. Qionghua Zhu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding on the mutational order for common alterations in colorectal cancer. The evidence of in vitro growth assays comparing mutations is solid, although inclusion of biological replicates for the transcriptional assessments and in vivo experiments would have strengthened the study. The work will be of interest to scientists working in the field of colon cancer.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Cribriform Plate Microenvironment Assembles a Suppressive Myeloid Network during EAE-induced Neuroinflammation

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Collin Laaker
   2. Martin Hsu
   3. Andy Madrid
   4. Jenna Port
   5. Sophia M Vrba
   6. Melinda Herbath
   7. Cameron Baenen
   8. Mohan Kumar
   9. Thanthrige Thiunuwan Priyathilaka
   10. Matyas Sandor
   11. Zsuzsanna Fabry

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Laaker et al. make an important finding that the cribriform plate acts as a unique neuroimmune interface that shapes local myeloid cell states during EAE-induced neuroinflammation. Using immuohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and single-cell RNAseq of doublets to interrogate cell-cell interactions, the authors provide solid evidence that macrophages, migratory dendritic cells (DCs), and fibroblasts interact at the site of CSF outflow, with DCs showing characteristics of immune tolerance. While the functional consequences of these cell states remain to be established, the work shows that the cribiform plate can play a key role in influencing immune cell composition and interactions with stromal cells.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Arousal modulates functional connectivity through structured and hemispherically asymmetric community architecture during wakefulness

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Xiangyu Kong
   2. Siyu Li
   3. Gaolang Gong

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study offers a valuable analysis of how moment-to-moment fluctuations in arousal are associated with structured, non-uniform patterns of brain-wide functional connectivity during wakefulness. Using data-driven analyses of resting-state and naturalistic fMRI with eye tracking, the authors present convincing evidence that arousal is a dynamic, continuous process that shapes brain activity in a structured way beyond a simple global effect. However, the strength of the conclusions is limited by a reliance on specific analytical choices and the need for additional controls and robustness analyses. This paper sheds light on the link between brain activity and ongoing fluctuations in arousal and will be of interest to researchers studying large-scale brain functional organization and links between the brain and body.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. TAD boundary architecture and gene activity are uncoupled

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Faisal Almansour
   2. Nadezda A Fursova
   3. Adib Keikhosravi
   4. Kathleen S Metz Reed
   5. Daniel R Larson
   6. Gianluca Pegoraro
   7. Tom Misteli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, DNA and RNA are co-imaged in single cells to show that the proximity of topologically associated domain (TAD) boundaries is uncoupled from the transcriptional activity of nearby genes. The evidence supporting these conclusions is convincing for the regions examined, with high-throughput imaging providing robust statistics. This work will be of interest to researchers studying genome architecture and its relationship to gene regulation.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Exercise Engages Coordinated Neuron–Glia Signaling to Shape Spinal Cord Plasticity

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Shivani Mansingh
   2. Sedat Dilbaz
   3. Danilo Ritz
   4. Gesa Santos
   5. Stefan A Steurer
   6. Christoph Handschin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides valuable data regarding gene expression and molecular changes that occur in the mouse spinal cord from exercise and motor activity. Overall, the findings and methods are solid, although additional independent validation experiments would improve the rigor of the study. The work provides resources for neuroscientists who investigate communication between neurons and non-neurons and both basic and translational scientists with interests in how physical activity impacts the nervous system function, with potential therapeutic outcomes.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Boosting the signal: Expectation-driven gain modulation of preparatory spatial attention

    This article has 2 authors:

    1. Dirk van Moorselaar
    2. Stefan Van der Stigchel

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study provides valuable evidence regarding our expectations about task difficulty and how this might influence proactive attention. The findings suggest that anticipated demands enhance the strength of attentional selection at cued locations. The evidence is solid but not definitive, as the conclusions rely on the absence of changes in spatial breadth and would benefit from clearer statistical justification and a more cautious interpretation of alternative mechanisms.

    Reviewed by eLife