eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Identification of a sub-population of synovial mesenchymal stem cells with enhanced treatment efficacy in a rat model of osteoarthritis

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Nedaa Al-Jezani
   2. Asmaa Affan
   3. Catherine Leonard
   4. Nabangshu Das
   5. Luiz Gustavo Almeida
   6. Daniel Young
   7. Anand O Masson
   8. Antoine Dufour
   9. Paul Salo
   10. Pam Railton
   11. James N Powell
   12. Roman J Krawetz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study characterized and identified clonal MSC populations from human synovium. The authors provide convincing evidence that clonal MSC populations can be isolated and expanded from both normal and osteoarthritic synovium and that CD47 represents a potential marker for improved chondrogenic potential of MSC sub-populations. These findings could provide new avenues for osteoarthritis treatment in the future and deeper mechanistic understanding of the factors involved in the repair.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. R-Spondin Mimetic, SZN-043, Induced Proliferation and Expression of Wnt Target Genes, Two Impaired Features in Human Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Trevor Fisher
   2. Mehaben Patel
   3. Shalaka Deshmukh
   4. Darshini Shah
   5. Chenggang Lu
   6. Maureen Newman
   7. Jay Ye
   8. Russell Fletcher
   9. Geertrui F Vanhove
   10. Jay Tibbitts
   11. Yang Li
   12. Nicholas J Skill
   13. Zhihong Yang
   14. Suthat Liangpunsakul
   15. Helene Baribault

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study highlights the novel role of RSPO mimetic SZN-043 in the activation of hepatic WNT signaling and promoting hepatocyte regeneration. The authors provide convincing evidence of SZN-043 increasing hepatocytes proliferation in various mouse models, including a humanized mouse liver model, ALD model and CCL4 fibrosis model. This study will be of interest to researchers in liver regeneration and repair mechanisms.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Acute aerobic exercise intensity does not modulate pain potentially due to differences in fitness levels and sex effects: results from a pharmacological fMRI study

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Janne Ina Nold
   2. Tahmine Fadai
   3. Christian Büchel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, Nold et al. examined exercise-induced pain modulation in a pharmacological within-subject fMRI study using the opioid-antagonist naloxone and different levels of aerobic exercise intensity and pain. This investigation provides solid evidence to show that the intensity of exercise does not seem to impact the hypoalgesic effect. Moreover, exploratory analysis identified that fitness level and sex may potentially play a role in exercise-induced hypoalgesia, and that further confirmatory studies are required in order to verify these findings.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Megakaryocytes assemble a three-dimensional cage of extracellular matrix that controls their maturation and anchoring to the vascular niche

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Claire Masson
   2. Cyril Scandola
   3. Jean-Yves Rinckel
   4. Fabienne Proamer
   5. Emily Janus-Bell
   6. Fareeha Batool
   7. Naël Osmani
   8. Jacky G Goetz
   9. Léa Mallo
   10. Nathalie Brouard
   11. Catherine Leon
   12. Alicia Bornert
   13. Renaud Poincloux
   14. Olivier Destaing
   15. Alma Mansson
   16. Hong Qian
   17. Maxime Lehmann
   18. Anita Eckly

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     In this revised version, the authors provide a thorough investigation of the interaction of megakaryocytes (MK) with their associated extracellular matrix (ECM) during maturation; they provide compelling evidence that the existence of a dense cage-like pericellular structure containing laminin γ1 and α4 and collagen IV is key to fixing the perisinusoidal localization of MK and preventing their premature intravasation. Adhesion of MK to this ECM cage is dependent on integrin beta1 and beta3 expressed by MK. This strong conclusion is based on the use of state-of-the art techniques such f primary murine bone marrow MK cultures, mice lacking ECM receptors, namely integrin beta1 and beta3 null mice, as well as high-resolution 2D and 3D imaging. The study provides valuable insight into the role of cell-matrix interactions in MK maturation and provides an interesting model with practical implications for the fields of hemostasis and thrombosis.

   Reviewed by eLife, preLights

5. Parkinson’s disease-associated Pink1 loss disrupts vesicle trafficking in Ensheathing glia causing dopaminergic neuron synapse loss

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Lorenzo Ghezzi
   2. Ulrike Pech
   3. Nils Schoovaerts
   4. Suresh Poovathingal
   5. Kristofer Davie
   6. Jochen Lamote
   7. Roman Praschberger
   8. Patrik Verstreken

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The preliminary data presented in this manuscript seem valuable. The data are currently incomplete and there are numerous technical concerns, some of which may arise from insufficient description of methodologies used.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Interleukin-4 induces CD11c+ microglia leading to amelioration of neuropathic pain in mice

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Keita Kohno
   2. Ryoji Shirasaka
   3. Keita Hirose
   4. Takahiro Masuda
   5. Makoto Tsuda

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study is important as it highlighted how IL-4 regulates the reactive state of a specific microglial population by increasing the proportion of CD11c+ microglial cells and ultimately suppressing neuropathic pain. The study employs a combination of behavioral assays, pharmacogenetic manipulation of microglial populations, and characterization of microglial markers to address these questions. It provided convincing evidence for the proposed mechanism of IL-4-mediated microglial regulation in neuropathic pain.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Strikingly different neurotransmitter release strategies in dopaminergic subclasses

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Ana Dorrego-Rivas
   2. Darren J Byrne
   3. Yunyi Liu
   4. Menghon Cheah
   5. Ceren Arslan
   6. Marcela Lipovsek
   7. Marc C Ford
   8. Matthew S Grubb

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides evidence for distinct neurotransmitter release modalities between two subclasses of dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb. Specifically, it demonstrates dendritic neurotransmitter release in anaxonic neurons and axonal release in axon-bearing neurons. The presence of GABAergic self-inhibition in anaxonic neurons further underscores the functional divergence between these subtypes. Overall, the manuscript presents solid evidence and offers biologically important insights into the organization and function of dopaminergic circuits within the olfactory bulb.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A single cysteine residue in vimentin regulates long non-coding RNA XIST to suppress epithelial–mesenchymal transition and stemness in breast cancer

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Saima Usman
   2. William Andrew Yeudall
   3. Muy-Teck Teh
   4. Fatemah Ghloum
   5. Hemanth Tummala
   6. Ahmad Waseem

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study reveals that the structural protein vimentin promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells. Utilizing robust and validated methodologies, the data collected provide a solid foundation for further investigation into metastasis models. This work will be of significant interest to researchers in the field of breast cancer.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Orexin population activity precisely reflects net body movement across behavioral and metabolic states

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Alexander L Tesmer
   2. Paulius Viskaitis
   3. Dane Donegan
   4. Eva F Bracey
   5. Nikola Grujic
   6. Tommaso Patriarchi
   7. Daria Peleg-Raibstein
   8. Denis Burdakov

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study shows that the activity of hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin neurons (HONs) correlates with body movement over multiple behaviors. Compelling evidence, supported by sophisticated, cutting-edge tools and data analyses, highlights a link that appears to be unique to HONs. This work should be of interest to scientists studying peptidergic neurons, movement, energy regulation, and brain-body coordination.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Mesoscale functional architecture in medial posterior parietal cortex

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Riichiro Hira
    2. Leah B Townsend
    3. Ikuko T Smith
    4. Che-Hang Yu
    5. Jeffrey N Stirman
    6. Yiyi Yu
    7. Spencer LaVere Smith

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This fundamental study measures the functional specialization of distinct subregions within the mouse posterior parietal cortex (PPC) using mesoscopic two-photon calcium imaging during visual discrimination and choice history-dependent tasks. It presents compelling evidence supporting the existence of functional specialized subregions within the PPC. The work will be of interest to system and computational neuroscientists interested in decision-making, working memory, and multisensory integration.

    Reviewed by eLife