eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Deployment of endocytic machinery to periactive zones of nerve terminals is independent of active zone assembly and evoked release

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Javier Emperador-Melero
   2. Steven J Del Signore
   3. Kevin M De León González
   4. Pascal S Kaeser
   5. Avital A Rodal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important and rigorous study that addresses the question of what determines the spatial organization of endocytic zones at synapses. The authors use compelling approaches, in both Drosophila and rodent model systems, to define the role of activity and active zone structure on the organization of the peri-active zone. While the findings are primarily negative, they are carefully executed and contribute to the field by refining existing models of presynaptic organization.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Weak evidence for heritable changes in response to selection by aphids in Arabidopsis accessions

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Marc W Schmid
   2. Klara Kropivšek
   3. Samuel E Wuest
   4. Bernhard Schmid
   5. Ueli Grossniklaus

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper examines selection on induced epigenetic variation ("Lamarckian evolution") in response to herbivory in Arabidopsis thaliana. The authors find weak evidence for such adaptation, which contrasts with a recently published study that reported extensive heritable variation induced by the environment. The authors convincingly demonstrate that the findings of the previous study were confounded by mix-ups of genetically distinct material, so that standing genetic variation was mistaken for acquired (epigenetic) variation. Given the controversy surrounding the influence of heritable epigenetic variation on phenotypic variation and adaptation, this study is an important, clarifying contribution; it serves as a timely reminder that sequence-based verification of genetic material should be prioritized when either genetic identity or divergence is of importance to the conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Inhibitory circuits control leg movements during Drosophila grooming

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Durafshan Sakeena Syed
   2. Primoz Ravbar
   3. Julie H Simpson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Combining connectomics, optogenetics, behavioral analysis and modeling, this study delivers important findings on the role of inhibitory neurons in the generation of leg grooming movements in Drosophila. The results include convincing evidence that the identified neuronal populations are key in the generation of rhythmic leg movements, structured in distinct polysynaptic pathways articulating inhibition and disinhibition of antagonistic sets of motor neurons, as mapped from an electron microscopy volume of the ventral nerve cord, which orchestrate an alternation of flexion and extension. By analyzing limb kinematics upon experimentally silencing specific populations of premotor inhibitory neurons, together with computational modelling, the potential role of these neurons in rhythmic leg movement is shown. This work will be of interest to neuroscientists working in motor control and limbed locomotion.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Dynamic fMRI networks of emotion

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Niels Janssen
   2. Uriel KA Elvira
   3. Joost Janssen
   4. Theo GM van Erp

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript provides important information on the neurodynamics of emotional processing while participants were watching movie clips. This work provides convincing results in deciphering the temporal-spatial dynamics of emotional processing. This work will be of interest to affective neuroscientists and fMRI researchers in general.

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5. Principles of gamma synchrony predict figure–ground perception in texture stimuli

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Maryam Karimian
   2. Mark Jonathan Roberts
   3. Peter De Weerd
   4. Mario Senden

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Karimian et al. present a valuable new model to explain how gamma-band synchrony (30-80 Hz) can support human visual feature binding by selectively grouping image elements, countering recent criticisms that the stimulus dependence of gamma oscillations limits their functional role. Grounded in the theory of weakly coupled oscillators the model captures behavioural patterns observed in human psychophysics, offering support for the potential role of synchrony-based mechanisms in feature-binding. The development of the model in alignment with primate electrophysiology convincingly supports the paper's claims that gamma synchrony may be the underlying mechanism. While the paper does not present electrophysiological results that directly link gamma oscillations to figure-ground segregation in the presented task, the model makes several predictions that can be tested experimentally.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Coenzyme A governs proinflammatory macrophage metabolism

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Greg. A Timblin
   2. Kevin. M Tharp
   3. Johanna ten Hoeve
   4. Daniel S Kantner
   5. Ilayda Baydemir
   6. Eric A Noel
   7. Chandra Khantwal
   8. Pankaj K Singh
   9. Joshua N Farahzad
   10. Jorge Domínguez-Andrés
   11. Russell E Vance
   12. Nathaniel W Snyder
   13. Valerie M Weaver

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study looks into the effect of exogenous CoA on the response of TLR4-activated macrophages. Specifically, CoA enhances the LPS response by examining metabolomics, 13C tracing, and assessments of transcription and acetylation. Together, these provide a compelling series of findings that show exogenous CoA is taken up by macrophages, and this facilitates histone acetylation and transcription associated with activation and antimicrobial activity.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Cell surface localisation of GPI-anchored receptors in Trypanosoma brucei

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Sourav Banerjee
   2. Nicola Minshall
   3. Alexander D Cook
   4. Olivia Macleod
   5. Helena Webb
   6. Matthew K Higgins
   7. Mark Carrington

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable manuscript investigates the localisation of nutrient receptors in bloodstream stage trypanosomes, with implications for both nutrient uptake and immune evasion. Results after direct fixation of the cells in culture medium (as opposed to fixation after centrifugation) provide compelling evidence that the amounts of receptors on the surface of the cell, as opposed to the flagellar pocket, have previously been severely underestimated.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Midbrain somatostatin-expressing cells control pain-suppression during defensive states

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Nanci Winke
   2. Frank Aby
   3. Daniel Jercog
   4. Coline Riffault
   5. Rabia Bouali-Benazzouz
   6. Juliette Viellard
   7. Delphine Girard
   8. Zoé Grivet
   9. Marc Landry
   10. Laia Castell
   11. Emmanuel Valjent
   12. Stephane Valerio
   13. Pascal Fossat
   14. Cyril Herry

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study shows that long-range somatostatin-expressing neurons in the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey that project to the rostral ventromedial medulla selectively suppress pain responses during conditioned fear. The evidence supporting these conclusions is exceptional, with methods spanning a novel cued fear-conditioned analgesia paradigm, cell-type-specific optogenetic activation and inhibition, anatomical circuit tracing, and in vivo spinal cord electrophysiology. These results will be of broad interest to systems and behavioral neuroscientists studying fear, pain, and descending pain-control circuitry.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. RBMX2 links Mycobacterium bovis infection to epithelial–mesenchymal transition and lung cancer progression

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Chao Wang
   2. Yongchong Peng
   3. Hongxin Yang
   4. Yanzhu Jiang
   5. Abdul Karim Khalid
   6. Kailun Zhang
   7. Shengsong Xie
   8. Luiz Bermudez
   9. Yong Yang
   10. Lei Zhang
   11. Huanchun Chen
   12. Aizhen Guo
   13. Yingyu Chen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The identification of RBMX2 as a novel regulator linking mycobacterial infection to Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and cancer progression are fundamental findings that advance our understanding of a major research question about the link between infectious and non-infectious diseases, microbiology and oncology. It does so by introducing RBMX2 as a novel host factor, a potential therapeutic target and biomarker for both TB and lung cancer. The evidence provided is convincing because it is appropriate and the validated multi-omics methodologies used are in line with the current state of the art. This study will be of interest to scientists working in the fields of drug discovery, microbiology and oncology.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Addressing cultural and knowledge barriers to enable preclinical sex inclusive research

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Brianna N Gaskill
    2. Benjamin Phillips
    3. Jonathan Ho
    4. Holly Rafferty
    5. Oladele Olajide Onada
    6. Andrew Rooney
    7. Amrita Ahluwalia
    8. Natasha A Karp

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      The authors quantified intentions and knowledge gaps in scientists' use of sex as a biological variable in their work, and used a workshop intervention to show that while willingness was high, pressure points centered on statistical knowledge and perceived additional monetary costs to research. These important findings demonstrate the difficulty in changing understanding: while interventions can improve knowledge and decrease perceived barriers, the impact was small. The evidence for the findings is solid.

    Reviewed by eLife