eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Dynamic changes in subplate and cortical plate microstructure at the onset of cortical folding in vivo

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Siân Wilson
   2. Daan Christiaens
   3. Hyukjin Yun
   4. Alena Uus
   5. Lucilio Cordero-Grande
   6. Vyacheslav Karolis
   7. Anthony Price
   8. Maria Deprez
   9. Jacques-Donald Tournier
   10. Mary Rutherford
   11. Ellen Grant
   12. Joseph V Hajnal
   13. A David Edwards
   14. Tomoki Arichi
   15. Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
   16. Kiho Im

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable study of early brain development using advanced MRI methods. In particular, the study investigates the relationship between the maturation of diffusion MRI tissue properties and suggests that they may precede and guide the emergence of brain folding patterns. The data is solid, however, the evidence supporting the precedence of tissue changes over brain folding appears incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Integrating microscopy and transcriptomics from individual uncultured eukaryotic plankton

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Catherine Gatt
   2. Yike Xie
   3. Kanu Wahi
   4. Emma MV Johansson
   5. Fabio Zanini

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable research contributes to our understanding of marine plankton diversity and gene expression by employing robust methodologies for sample collection and analysis. However, it lacks a comprehensive comparison with existing single-cell transcriptomics techniques in microbial ecology, and some terminology requires clarification for consistency with field standards. The downstream data analysis therefore provides only incomplete support for the claims made by the authors.

   Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

3. Decoding m6Am by simultaneous transcription-start mapping and methylation quantification

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Jianheng Fox Liu
   2. Ben R Hawley
   3. Luke S Nicholson
   4. Samie R Jaffrey

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a new quantitative method, CROWN-seq, to map the cap-adjacent RNA modification N6,2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) with single nucleotide resolution. Using thoughtful controls and well-validated reagents, the authors provide compelling evidence that the method is reliable and reproducible. Additionally, the study provides important evidence that m6Am may increase transcription in modified mRNAs. However, the data only demonstrates a correlation between m6Am and transcriptional regulation rather than causality. Overall, this study is poised to advance m6Am research, being of broad interest to the RNA biology and gene regulation fields.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. It’s the Sound, not the Pulse: Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation Reduces Central Sensitization through Auditory Modulatory Effects

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Spencer S Abssy
   2. Natalie R Osborne
   3. Evgeny E Osokin
   4. Rossi Tomin
   5. Liat Honigman
   6. James S Khan
   7. Nathaniel W De Vera
   8. Andrew Furman
   9. Ali Mazaheri
   10. David A Seminowicz
   11. Massieh Moayedi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Abssy et al. carried out a study to test the effects of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) on pain perception in an experimental pain model and concluded that the analgesic properties of rPMS could be largely attributed to its auditory component rather than peripheral nerve stimulation per se. While the study presents valuable data on the modulation of pain perception in response to the stimulation paradigms that were tested, several issues in the experimental design and interpretation of results render the evidence incomplete to support their main claims, which should therefore be revised. In that case, these results could be of interest to pain clinicians and researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. On-Demand Seizures Facilitate Rapid Screening of Therapeutics for Epilepsy

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Yuzhang Chen
   2. Brian Litt
   3. Flavia Vitale
   4. Hajime Takano

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors modified a common method to induce epilepsy in mice to provide an improved approach to screen new drugs for epilepsy. This is important because of the need to develop new drugs for patients who are refractory to current medications. The authors' method evokes seizures to circumvent a low rate of spontaneous seizures and the approach was validated using two common anti-seizure medications. The strength of evidence was solid, making the study invaluable, but there were some limitations to the approach and methods.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. PEBP1 amplifies mitochondrial dysfunction-induced integrated stress response

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ling Cheng
   2. Ian Meliala
   3. Yidi Kong
   4. Jingyuan Chen
   5. Christopher G Proud
   6. Mikael Björklund

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this article, Cheng et al present an important finding that advances the understanding of mitochondrial stress response(s). The authors employed mass spectrometry-based methods in conjunction with standard molecular and cellular biology techniques to provide compelling evidence that phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 (PEBP1) acts as a pivotal regulator of the mitochondrial component of integrated stress response. Notwithstanding that this discovery is likely to be of significant interest to researchers across a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from cell biology to neuroscience, it was thought that further mechanistic dissection of the role of PEBP1 in modulating integrated stress response may further strengthen this study.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Genome-wide identification of stable RNA-chromatin interactions

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Xingzhao Wen
   2. Sheng Zhong

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides a valuable look at genome-wide RNaseA-resistant RNA-DNA interactions in human embryonic stem cells. The research indicated that RNase treatment maintained long-range RNA-chromatin connections characterized by significant sequence conservation while abolishing permissive interactions. Interestingly, coding and non-coding RNA transcripts exhibited differing sensitivity to RNase treatment. Although the study findings reveal an intriguing RNase-inaccessible regulatory RNA-chromatin interactome, conclusions about the identity and regulatory significance of RNase-resistant RNA-chromatin interactions are incomplete and would benefit from more rigorous approaches that include additional computational and experimental controls.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Conformational dynamics and asymmetry in multimodal inhibition of membrane-bound pyrophosphatases

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Jianing Liu
   2. Anokhi Shah
   3. Xinyu Liu
   4. Joshua L Wort
   5. Yue Ma
   6. Katie Hardman
   7. Niklas G Johansson
   8. Orquidea Ribeiro
   9. Adam Brookfield
   10. Alice Bowen
   11. Jari Yli-Kauhaluoma
   12. Henri Xhaard
   13. Lars JC Jeuken
   14. Adrian Goldman
   15. Christos Pliotas
   16. Keni Vidilaseris

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study uncovers the mechanism of inhibition of a membrane pyrophosphatase by non-hydrolyzable phosphonate substrate analogs. Convincing crystallography, EPR spectroscopy, and functional measurements support the presence of a distinct conformational equilibrium of TmPPase in solution, and further supports the notion of asymmetric inhibitor binding at the active site, while maintaining a symmetric conformation at the periplasmic interface.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Inhibition of p38-MK2 pathway enhances the efficacy of microtubule inhibitors in breast cancer cells

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Yu-Chia Chen
   2. Mamoru Takada
   3. Aerica Nagornyuk
   4. Muhan Yu
   5. Hideyuki Yamada
   6. Takeshi Nagashima
   7. Masayuki Ohtsuka
   8. Jennifer G DeLuca
   9. Steven M Markus
   10. Motoki Takaku
   11. Aussie Suzuki

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides valuable findings that MK2 inhibitor CMPD1 can inhibit the growth, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, although the detailed molecular mechanism and additional animal experiments would strengthen the paper. This study will be of interest to the breast cancer field.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. PDL-1+ Neutrophils mediate susceptibility during endotoxemia in Metabolically Dysfunctional-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

    This article has 9 authors:

    1. Cleyson da Cruz Oliveira Barros
    2. Alexandre Kanashiro
    3. Gabriel Victor Lucena da Silva
    4. Paulo Sérgio de Almeida Augusto
    5. Guilherme Cesar Martelossi Cebinelli
    6. Luiz Osório Leiria
    7. Thiago Mattar Cunha
    8. José Carlos Alves Filho
    9. Fernando Queiroz Cunha

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study highlights the key role of NK cells and PD-L1+ neutrophils in worsening sepsis responses in the context of MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis). It focused on the role of neutrophils in mediating this effect, which is based on a choline-deficient high-fat diet model of various knockouts or selective ablation of immune cell types. While the data presented are of great interest, there are concerns around the reliability of the strength of the evidence provided, which is currently considered incomplete. The study may be of interest to researchers in immunopathological disease mechanisms once confirmatory studies have been completed.

      [Editors' note: the authors no longer have access to the original flow cytometry data and plan to compile new datasets for further consideration.]

    Reviewed by eLife