eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Integrating bulk and single cell RNA-seq refines transcriptomic profiles of individual C. elegans neurons

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Alec Barrett
   2. Erdem Varol
   3. Alexis Weinreb
   4. Seth R Taylor
   5. Rebecca M McWhirter
   6. Cyril Cros
   7. Berta Vidal
   8. Manasa Basaravaju
   9. Abigail Poff
   10. John A Tipps
   11. Maryam Majeed
   12. Chen Wang
   13. Emily A Bayer
   14. Molly Reilly
   15. Eviatar Yemini
   16. HaoSheng Sun
   17. Oliver Hobert
   18. David M Miller
   19. Marc Hammarlund

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper uses a new computational method that integrates bulk sequencing and single-cell sequencing data to provide refined gene expression datasets for 52 neuron classes in C. elegans. The paper's findings are convincing, presenting an approach that alleviates a key shortcoming of single-cell RNA sequencing. While the datasets have some limitations that the authors acknowledge, the new methodology and refined datasets will be important resources for those interested in understanding how gene expression shapes neuronal morphology and physiology.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Individual dopaminergic neurons induce unique, yet overlapping combinations of behavioural modulations including safety learning, memory retrieval and acute locomotion

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Naoko Toshima
   2. Arman Behrad
   3. Franziska Behnke
   4. Gauri Kaushik
   5. Aliće Weiglein
   6. Martin Strauch
   7. Juliane Thoener
   8. Oliver Kobler
   9. Maia Lisandra M Wang
   10. Markus Dörr
   11. Michael Schleyer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable findings on the role of specific dopamine neurons for aversive learning and modulation of innate behavior in Drosophila larvae. The authors present solid evidence backed up by detailed behavioral quantification and rigorous testing. Their data confirms previous findings and will be of interest to the learning and memory community.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. A cross-species framework for investigating perceptual evidence accumulation

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Sucheta Chakravarty
   2. Cristina Delgado-Sallent
   3. Gary A Kane
   4. Hongjie Xia
   5. Quan H Do
   6. Ryan A Senne
   7. Benjamin B Scott

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This translational study presents a direct cross-species comparison (between mice, rats, and humans) of choice behavior in the same perceptual decision-making task. The study is rare in opening a window on the evolution of decision-making, and the results will be important for many disciplines including behavioral sciences, psychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry. While the strength of the evidence presented is solid, the manuscript would benefit from additional information and analyses to strengthen and clarify its main conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Adult neurogenesis reconciles flexibility and stability of olfactory perceptual memory

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Bennet Sakelaris
   2. Hermann Riecke

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this important study, the authors use computational modeling to explore how fast learning can be reconciled with the accumulation of stable memories in the olfactory bulb, where adult neurogenesis is prominent. Their model demonstrates that changes in excitability, plasticity, and susceptibility to apoptosis during the maturation of adult-born granule cells can help resolve the flexibility-stability dilemma. These compelling results provide a coherent picture of a neurogenesis-dependent learning process that is consistent with diverse experimental observations and may serve as a foundation for further experimental and computational studies.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Imputation of structural variants using a multi-ancestry long-read sequencing panel enables identification of disease associations

   This article has 25 authors:

   1. Boris Noyvert
   2. A Mesut Erzurumluoglu
   3. Dmitriy Drichel
   4. Steffen Omland
   5. Till FM Andlauer
   6. Stefanie Mueller
   7. Lau Sennels
   8. Christian Becker
   9. Aleksandr Kantorovich
   10. Boris A Bartholdy
   11. Ingrid Brænne
   12. Julio Cesar Bolivar-Lopez
   13. Costas Mistrellides
   14. Gillian M Belbin
   15. Jeremiah H Li
   16. Joseph K Pickrell
   17. Jatin Arora
   18. Yao Hu
   19. Boehringer Ingelheim – Global Computational Biology and Digital Sciences
   20. Clive R Wood
   21. Jan M Kriegl
   22. Nikhil Podduturi
   23. Jan N Jensen
   24. Jan Stutzki
   25. Zhihao Ding

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental work significantly enhances our understanding of how structural variants influence human phenotypes. The conclusion is convincingly supported by rigorous analyses of long-read sequencing data. If the raw data are made publicly available, these high-quality datasets and findings will further advance our knowledge of genetic variation in the human population.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. ATP-release pannexin channels are gated by lysophospholipids

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Erik Henze
   2. Russell N Burkhardt
   3. Bennett William Fox
   4. Tyler J Schwertfeger
   5. Eric Gelsleichter
   6. Kevin Michalski
   7. Lydia Kramer
   8. Margret Lenfest
   9. Jordyn M Boesch
   10. Hening Lin
   11. Frank C Schroeder
   12. Toshimitsu Kawate

   This article has been curated by 2 groups:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Pannexin (Panx) channels are a family of poorly understood large-pore channels that mediate the release of substrates like ATP from cells, yet the physiological stimuli that activate these channels remain poorly understood. The study by Henze et al. describes an elegant approach wherein activity-guided fractionation of mouse liver led to the discovery that lysophospholipids (LPCs) activate Panx1 and Panx2 channels expressed in cells or reconstituted into liposomes. The authors provide compelling evidence that LPC-mediated activation of Panx1 is involved in joint pain and that Panx1 channels are required for the established effects of LPC on inflammasome activation in monocytes, suggesting that Panx channels play a role in inflammatory pathways. Overall, this important study reports a previously unanticipated mechanism wherein LPCs directly activate Panx channels. The work will be of interest to scientists investigating phospholipids, Panx channels, purinergic signalling and inflammation.

     [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed and curated by Biophysics Colab]

   • Curated by Biophysics Colab

     Evaluation Statement (5 February 2025)

     Pannexin (Panx) channels are a family of poorly understood large-pore channels that mediate the release of substrates like ATP from cells, yet the physiological stimuli that activate these channels remain poorly understood. The preprint by Henze et al. describes an elegant approach wherein activity-guided fractionation of mouse liver led to the discovery that lysophospholipids (LPCs) activate Panx1 and Panx2 channels expressed in cells or reconstituted into liposomes. The authors provide evidence that LPC-mediated activation of Panx1 is involved in joint pain and that Panx1 channels are required for the established effects of LPC on inflammasome activation in monocytes, suggesting that Panx channels play a role in inflammatory pathways. Overall, this important study reports a previously unanticipated mechanism wherein LPCs directly activate Panx channels.

     Biophysics Colab recommends this study to scientists investigating phospholipids, Panx channels, purinergic signalling and inflammation.

     Biophysics Colab has evaluated this study as one that meets the following criteria:

     • Rigorous methodology
     • Transparent reporting
     • Appropriate interpretation

     (This evaluation refers to version 3 of this preprint, which has been revised in response to peer review of versions 1 and 2.)

   Reviewed by eLife, Biophysics Colab

7. Developmental, regenerative, and behavioral dynamics in acoel reproduction

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Vikram Chandra
   2. Samantha Elizabeth Tseng
   3. Allison P Kann
   4. Diana Marcela Bolanos
   5. Mansi Srivastava

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Xenacoelomorpha is an enigmatic phylum, displaying various presumably simple or ancestral bilaterian features. This valuable study characterises the reproductive life history of Hofstenia miamia, a member of class Acoela in this phylum. The authors describe the morphology and development of the reproductive system, its changes upon degrowth and regeneration, and the animals' egg-laying behaviour. The evidence is convincing, with fluorescent microscopy and quantitative measurements as a considerable improvement to historical reports based mostly on histology and qualitative observations.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A behavioral architecture for realistic simulations of Drosophila larva locomotion and foraging

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Panagiotis Sakagiannis
   2. Anna-Maria Jürgensen
   3. Martin Paul Nawrot

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents a hierarchical computational model that integrates locomotion, navigation, and learning in Drosophila larvae. The evidence supporting the model is convincing, as it qualitatively replicates empirical behavioral data. While some simplifications in neuromechanical representation and sensory-motor integration are limiting factors, the reported modular framework will be of interest for computational modeling of biological movement and adaptive behavior.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Gene regulatory mechanisms guiding bifurcation of inhibitory and excitatory neuron lineages in the mouse anterior brainstem

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Sami Kilpinen
   2. Lassi Virtanen
   3. Silvana Bodington Celma
   4. Amos Bonsdorff
   5. Heidi Heliölä
   6. Kaia Achim
   7. Juha Partanen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work is a important resource for hypothesis testing of candidate upstream transcriptional regulatory factors that control the spatiotemporal expression of selector genes and their targets for GABAergic vs glutamatergic neuron fate in the anterior brainstem. Extensive high-quality datasets were generated and state of the art computational methods were convincingly implemented to identify candidate regulatory elements. The work will be of interest to biologists working to understand neuronal gene regulatory networks.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. A novel SUN1-ALLAN complex coordinates segregation of the bipartite MTOC across the nuclear envelope during rapid closed mitosis in Plasmodium berghei

    This article has 21 authors:

    1. Mohammad Zeeshan
    2. Igor Blatov
    3. Ryuji Yanase
    4. David JP Ferguson
    5. Sarah L Pashley
    6. Zeinab Chahine
    7. Yoshiki Yamaryo-Botté
    8. Akancha Mishra
    9. Baptiste Marche
    10. Suhani Bhanvadia
    11. Molly Hair
    12. Sagar Batra
    13. Robert Markus
    14. Declan Brady
    15. Andrew R Bottrill
    16. Sue Vaughan
    17. Cyrille Y Botté
    18. Karine G Le Roch
    19. Anthony A Holder
    20. Eelco Tromer
    21. Rita Tewari

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      In Plasmodium male gametocytes, rapid nuclear division occurs with an intact nuclear envelope, requiring precise coordination between nuclear and cytoplasmic events to ensure proper packaging of each nucleus into a developing gamete. This valuable study characterizes two proteins involved in the formation of Plasmodium berghei male gametes. By integrating live-cell imaging, ultrastructural expansion microscopy, and proteomics, this study convincingly identifies SUN1 and its interaction partner ALLAN as crucial nuclear envelope components in male gametogenesis. A role for SUN1 in membrane dynamics and lipid metabolism is less well supported. The results are of interest for general cell biologists working on unusual mitosis pathways.

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

    Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons