Latest preprint reviews

1. Diverse somatic Transformer and sex chromosome karyotype pathways regulate gene expression in Drosophila gonad development

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Sharvani Mahadevaraju
   2. Soumitra Pal
   3. Pradeep Bhaskar
   4. Brennan D McDonald
   5. Leif Benner
   6. Luca Denti
   7. Davide Cozzi
   8. Paola Bonizzoni
   9. Teresa M Przytycka
   10. Brian Oliver

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study offers a valuable genomic dataset, analyses, and functional studies on gonadal sex determination and development. The work addresses long-standing questions regarding the role of the Drosophila sex determination hierarchy, sex chromosomes, and the interaction between the sex determination hierarchy and sex chromosome composition in gonad development. Although this convincing work has been conducted rigorously, the authors missed some key opportunities in their analysis.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. CD131 Contributes to Ulcerative Colitis Pathogenesis by Promoting Macrophage Infiltration

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Zhiyuan Wu
   2. Lindi Liu
   3. Chenchen He
   4. Lin Xiao
   5. Duo Yun
   6. Junliang Chen
   7. Zhihao Liu
   8. Wenjun Li
   9. Qingjie Lv
   10. Xiaodong Tan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic gut inflammatory condition affecting the colon in humans. This study uses human samples as well as a mouse model of colitis induced by a chemical, DSS, to investigate the role of an immune marker, CD131, in UC pathogenesis. The study, as presented, is incomplete, as experimental details are lacking, the statistical analyses are deficient, and there is not yet direct evidence for a CD131-mediated mechanism of gut inflammation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Image Correlation Spectroscopy is a Robust Tool to Quantify Cellular DNA Damage Response

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Angelica A Gopal
   2. Bianca Fernandez
   3. Paul W Wiseman
   4. J Matthew Dubach

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable paper shows image correlation spectroscopy (ICS) as a new tool to analyze the clustering of proteins involved in DNA damage response (DDR). The solid evidence presented demonstrates that this method is more sensitive than traditional focus counting, although some of the claims require further contextualization. This new method provides an alternative tool to analyze immuno-stained focus for researchers in the fields of DDR and cell biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Social and environmental predictors of gut microbiome age in wild baboons

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Mauna R Dasari
   2. Kimberly E Roche
   3. David Jansen
   4. Jordan Anderson
   5. Susan C Alberts
   6. Jenny Tung
   7. Jack A Gilbert
   8. Ran Blekhman
   9. Sayan Mukherjee
   10. Elizabeth A Archie

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study leverages an impressive and comprehensive longitudinal 16S microbiome dataset from baboons to provide insights regarding the use of a microbiome-based clock to predict biological age, with solid evidence for age-associated microbiome features and environmental and social variables that impact microbiome aging. This study of microbiomes as markers of host age will be relevant to a broad range of researchers, especially those interested in alternatives to measuring biological aging.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Mapping kinase domain resistance mechanisms for the MET receptor tyrosine kinase via deep mutational scanning

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Gabriella O Estevam
   2. Edmond M Linossi
   3. Jingyou Rao
   4. Christian B Macdonald
   5. Ashraya Ravikumar
   6. Karson M Chrispens
   7. John A Capra
   8. Willow Coyote-Maestas
   9. Harold Pimentel
   10. Eric A Collisson
   11. Natalia Jura
   12. James S Fraser

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides a comprehensive analysis of how substitutions within the catalytic domain of the tyrosine kinase Met affect its sensitivity to inhibition by ATP-competitive, small molecule inhibitors and provides a mechanistic framework for understanding drug resistance. The evidence supporting the authors' claims is convincing, the data sets are comprehensive, and the analyses are rigorous. This work will be of broad interest to biochemists, structural biologists, and medicinal chemists.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Comparative neuroimaging of the carnivoran brain: Neocortical sulcal anatomy

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Magdalena Boch
   2. Katrin Karadachka
   3. Kep Kee Loh
   4. R Austin Benn
   5. Lea Roumazeilles
   6. Mads F Bertelsen
   7. Paul R Manger
   8. Ethan Wriggelsworth
   9. Simon Spiro
   10. Muhammad A Spocter
   11. Philippa J Johnson
   12. Kamilla Avelino-de-Souza
   13. Nina Patzke
   14. Claus Lamm
   15. Karla L Miller
   16. Jérôme Sallet
   17. Alexandre A Khrapitchev
   18. Benjamin C Tendler
   19. Rogier B Mars

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study presents the first detailed and comprehensive description of brain sulcus anatomy of a range of carnivoran species based on a robust manual labeling model allowing species comparisons. Although the database is recognized and the method for reconstructing cortical surfaces is convincing, the evidence supporting the conclusions is incomplete due to the lack of appropriate quantitative measurements and analyses. Considering additional specimens to assess intraspecies variations, as well as exploring the functional correlates of interspecies differences would increase the scope of the study. Setting an instructive foundation for comparative anatomy, this study will be of interest to neuroscientists and neuroimaging researchers interested in that field, as well as in brain morphology and sulcal patterns, their phylogeny, and ontogeny in relation to functional development and behaviour.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Molecular and Mechanical Signatures Contributing to Epidermal Differentiation and Barrier Formation

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Alexandra Prado-Mantilla
   2. Wenxiu Ning
   3. Terry Lechler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important paper by Lechler and colleagues describes the transcriptomic signature and fate of intermediate cells (ICs), a transient and poorly defined embryonic cell type in the skin. The paper convincingly shows through lineage tracing that ICs are granular and not spinous cell precursors, and through ectopic expression in vivo, that cell contractility, a mechanical feature of ICs, lies upstream of differentiation.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The title and authors for this article are not available from our external data provider yet:
   10.48550/arxiv.2312.17293v4

9. The dominance of global phase dynamics in human cortex, from delta to gamma

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. David M Alexander
   2. Laura Dugué

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study introduces a novel method for estimating spatial spectra from irregularly sampled intracranial EEG data, revealing cortical activity across all spatial frequencies, which supports the global and integrated nature of cortical dynamics. The study showcases important technical innovations and rigorous analyses, including tests to rule out potential confounds; however, the lack of comprehensive theoretical justification and assumptions about phase consistency across time points renders the strength of evidence incomplete. The dominance of low spatial frequencies in cortical phase dynamics continues to be of importance, and further elaboration on the interpretation and justification of the results would strengthen the link between evidence and conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Striatal cholinergic interneuron pause response requires Kv1 channels, is absent in dyskinetic mice, and is restored by dopamine D5 receptor inverse agonism

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Cecilia Tubert
    2. Rodrigo M Paz
    3. Agostina M Stahl
    4. Lorena Rela
    5. Mario Gustavo Murer

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      The manuscript reports a valuable finding on dopamine receptor-mediated regulation, the firing of striatal cholinergic interneurons in both healthy and dyskinesia states, identifying that Kv1 channels play a key role in the burst-dependent pause. The study presents solid experimental data, and provides additional mechanistic insights into how burst activity in SCINs leads to a subsequent pause, highlighting the involvement of D1/D5 receptors. This work will be of interest to researchers studying the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease.

    Reviewed by eLife