eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Perinatal environmental enrichment affects murine neonates’ brain structure before their active engagement with environment

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Malte S Kaller
   2. Clémence Ligneul
   3. Rylan Allemang-Grand
   4. Tie Yuan Zhang
   5. Jacob Ellegood
   6. Michael Meaney
   7. Jason P Lerch

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important study that combines replications of findings and novel detailed MRI investigations to assess the impact of environmental enrichment and maternal behavior on mice brain structure at different stages of development. The results and evidence supporting the conclusions are convincing, but in detail, the interpretation is challenging, in particular due to inter-individual and inter-litter variability. The extent to which maternal care mediates the impact of enrichment on brain development during the perinatal period also remains unclear because behavior was observed only during short periods, and the performed analyses are still incomplete. This study will nevertheless be of significant interest to neuroscientists and researchers interested in neurodevelopment in relation to environmental factors because of its in-depth use of MRI to study brain plasticity in mice.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Erythrocytosis-inducing PHD2 mutations implicate biological role for N-terminal prolyl-hydroxylation in HIF1α oxygen-dependent degradation domain

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Cassandra C Taber
   2. Wenguang He
   3. Geneviève MC Gasmi-Seabrook
   4. Mia Hubert
   5. Fraser G Ferens
   6. Mitsuhiko Ikura
   7. Jeffrey E Lee
   8. Michael Ohh

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, Taber et al. used a battery of biophysical and structural approaches to characterize the impact of erythrocytosis-related mutations in prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2). The authors show that PHD2 mutant proteins are destabilized, thus supporting the tenet that dysregulation of PHD2/hypoxia induced factor (HIF) axis underpins erythrocytosis, while providing solid evidence that N-terminal ODD prolyl hydroxylation of HIF is indispensable for these phenotypes. These findings were found to be of interest for researchers focusing on oxygen sensing in homeostasis and pathological states.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. FMRP Regulates Neuronal RNA Granules Containing Stalled Ribosomes, Not Where Ribosomes Stall

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Jewel T-Y Li
   2. Mehdi Amiri
   3. Senthilkumar Kailasam
   4. Lily Drever
   5. Jingyu Sun
   6. Laura Bohorquez
   7. Nahum Sonenberg
   8. Joaquin Ortega
   9. Wayne S Sossin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Based on several lines of interesting data, the authors conclude that neuronal FMRP, which is associated with stalled ribosomes and mRNP granules, does not determine position on the mRNAs at which ribosomes stall. They instead propose a role in subsequent translational activation of arrested mRNAs. Supported by generally solid experimental data, the paper represents a valuable contribution to the field. The generality of these conclusions, particularly for neurons of different development stages and for different subtypes of mRNP granules, should become clear with future studies that replicate and extend this work.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Dominant spinal muscular atrophy linked mutations in the cargo binding domain of BICD2 result in altered interactomes and dynein hyperactivity

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Hannah Neiswender
   2. Jessica E Pride
   3. Rajalakshmi Veeranan-Karmegam
   4. Phylicia Allen
   5. Grace Neiswender
   6. Avneesh Prabakar
   7. Caili Hao
   8. Xingjun Fan
   9. Graydon B Gonsalvez

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In their study, Neiswender et al. provide important insights into how BicD2 variants linked to spinal muscular atrophy alter dynein activity and cargo specificity. The authors present convincing evidence that disease-associated mutations lead to interactome changes, supported by additional validation of the BicD2/HOPS complex and discussion of their functional implications. This well-executed study offers invaluable datasets and a strong foundation for future exploration of disease mechanisms.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. p53-induced RNA-binding protein ZMAT3 inhibits transcription of a hexokinase to suppress mitochondrial respiration in human cancer cells

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Ravi Kumar
   2. Simon Couly
   3. Bruna R Muys
   4. Xiao Ling Li
   5. Ioannis Grammatikakis
   6. Ragini Singh
   7. Mary Guest
   8. Xinyu Wen
   9. Wei Tang
   10. Stefan Ambs
   11. Lisa M Jenkins
   12. Erica C Pehrsson
   13. Raj Chari
   14. Tsung-Ping Su
   15. Ashish Lal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this study, the authors investigate the role of ZMAT3, a p53 target gene, in tumor suppression and RNA splicing regulation. Using quantitative proteomics, the authors uncover that ZMAT3 knockout leads to upregulation of HKDC1, a gene linked to mitochondrial respiration, and that ZMAT3 suppresses HKDC1 expression by inhibiting c-JUN-mediated transcription. This set of convincing evidence reveals a fundamental mechanism by which ZMAT3 contributes to p53-driven tumor suppression by regulating mitochondrial respiration.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Differential regulation of hepatic macrophage fate by Chi3l1 in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Jia He
   2. Bo Chen
   3. Weiju Lu
   4. Xiong Wang
   5. Ruoxue Yang
   6. Chengxiang Deng
   7. Xiane Zhu
   8. Keqin Wang
   9. Lang Wang
   10. Cheng Xie
   11. Rui Li
   12. Xiaokang Lu
   13. Ruizhi Yang
   14. Cheng Peng
   15. Canpeng Li
   16. Zhao Shan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides an insight into the role of a Chi3l1 in liver macrophages during metabolic disease. The evidence is solid with the authors now addressing most concerns, although one key conclusion is not fully supported by the data presented. Overall, the work offers a useful contribution to the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Engineering NIR-sighted bacteria

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Stefanie SM Meier
   2. Michael Hörzing
   3. Cornelia Böhm
   4. Emma LR Düthorn
   5. Heikki Takala
   6. René Uebe
   7. Andreas Möglich

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study establishes bathy phytochromes, a unique class of bacterial photoreceptors that respond to near-infrared light (NIR), as versatile tools for bacterial optogenetics. NIR light is a key control signal in optogenetics due to its deep tissue penetration and the ability to combine with existing red- and blue-light sensitive systems, but thus far, NIR-activated proteins have been poorly characterized. The strength of evidence is convincing, with comprehensive in vitro characterization, modular design strategies, and validation across different hosts, supporting the versatility and potential for these tools in biotechnological applications. This study should advance the fields of optogenetics and photobiology and inspire future work.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Functionally coupled ion channels begin co-assembling at the start of their synthesis

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Roya Pournejati
   2. Jessica M Huang
   3. Michael Ma
   4. Claudia M Moreno
   5. Oscar Vivas

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental manuscript provides compelling evidence that BK and CaV1.3 channels can co-localize as ensembles early in the biosynthetic pathway, including within the ER and Golgi. The findings, supported by a range of imaging and proximity assays, offer insights into channel organization in both heterologous and endogenous systems. The data substantiate the central claims, while highlighting intriguing mechanistic questions for future studies: the determinants of mRNA co-localization, the temporal dynamics of ensemble trafficking, and the physiological implications of pre-assembly for channel function at the plasma membrane.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Divergent C. elegans toxin alleles are suppressed by distinct mechanisms

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Stefan Zdraljevic
   2. Laura Walter-McNeill
   3. Giancarlo N Bruni
   4. Joshua S Bloom
   5. Daniel HW Leighton
   6. Heriberto Marquez
   7. Noah Alexander
   8. Leonid Kruglyak

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study identifies a new toxin/antidote (T/A) system in the model nematode C. elegans. These results suggest there are alternative mechanisms to neutralize selfish genetic elements. The authors present solid data that robustly support their central conclusion. This work will be of broad interest to investigators in evolutionary biology and reproductive biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Role of ADMA-histones in dual-strand piRNA source loci recognition by Rhino

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Raku Saito
    2. Hirotsugu Ishizu
    3. Ritsuko Harigai
    4. Kensaku Murano
    5. Yurika Namba
    6. Mikiko C Siomi

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study identifies asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) modification of histones as a potential key determinant of the initial genomic binding of Rhino, a Drosophila-specific chromatin protein essential for piRNA cluster specification. The authors provide correlative genomic and imaging data to support their model, although functional validation of the proposed mechanism remains incomplete. Testing the redundancy between dART4 and dART1, which together could affect the prominent piRNA loci, in addition to the minor ones investigated in the manuscript, may change our assessment.

    Reviewed by eLife