eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. RAS–p110α signalling in macrophages is required for effective inflammatory response and resolution of inflammation

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Alejandro Rosell
   2. Agata Adelajda Krygowska
   3. Marta Alcón Pérez
   4. Cristina Cuesta
   5. Mathieu-Benoit Voisin
   6. Juan de Paz
   7. Héctor Sanz-Fraile
   8. Vinothini Rajeeve
   9. Ana Carreras-González
   10. Alberto Berral-González
   11. Ottilie Swinyard
   12. Enrique Gabandé-Rodríguez
   13. Julian Downward
   14. Jordi Alcaraz
   15. Juan Anguita
   16. Carmen García-Macías
   17. Javier De Las Rivas
   18. Pedro R Cutillas
   19. Esther Castellano Sanchez

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study investigates the impact of disrupting the interaction of RAS with the PI3K subunit p110α in macrophage function in vitro and inflammatory responses in vivo. Solid data overall supports a role for RAS-p110α signalling in regulating macrophage activity and so inflammation, however for many of the readouts presented the magnitude of the phenotype is not particularly pronounced. Further analysis would be required to substantiate the claims that RAS-p110α signalling plays a key role in macrophage function. Of note, the molecular mechanisms of how exactly p110α regulates the functions in macrophages have not yet been established.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Introduction of cytosine-5 DNA methylation sensitizes cells to oxidative damage

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Joanna Krwawicz
   2. Caroline J Sheeba
   3. Katie Hains
   4. Thomas McMahon
   5. Yimo Zhang
   6. Skirmantas Kriaucionis
   7. Peter Sarkies

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work advances our understanding of DNA methylation and its consequences for susceptibility to DNA damage. This work presents evidence that DNA methylation can accentuate the genomic damage propagated by DNA damaging agents as well as potentially being an independent source of such damage. The experimental results reported are sound. The evidence presented to support the conclusions drawn is convincing and alternative interpretations are considered. The work will be of broad interest to biochemists, cell and genome biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. HNF4α-TET2-FBP1 axis contributes to gluconeogenesis and type 2 diabetes

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Hongchen Li
   2. Xinchao Zhang
   3. Xiaoben Liang
   4. Shuyan Li
   5. Ziyi Cui
   6. Xinyu Zhao
   7. Kai Wang
   8. Bingbing Zha
   9. Haijie Ma
   10. Ming Xu
   11. Lei Lv
   12. Yanping Xu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Zhang et al. present important findings that reveal a new role for TET2 in controlling glucose production in the liver, showing that both fasting and a high-fat diet increase TET2 levels, while its absence reduces glucose production. TET2 works with HNF4α to activate the FBP1 gene upon glucagon stimulation, while metformin disrupts TET2-HNF4α interaction, lowering FBP1 levels and improving glucose homeostasis. The results are convincing and expand our understanding of gluconeogenesis regulation.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Maf-family bZIP transcription factor NRL interacts with RNA-binding proteins and R-loops in retinal photoreceptors

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Ximena Corso Diaz
   2. Xulong Liang
   3. Kiam Preston
   4. Bilguun Tegshee
   5. Milton A English
   6. Jacob Nellissery
   7. Sharda Prasad Yadav
   8. Claire Marchal
   9. Anand Swaroop

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study employed multiple orthogonal techniques and tissue samples to investigate the interaction between the NRL transcription factor and RNA-binding proteins in the retina. The findings are convincing to support an interaction between NRL and the DHX9 helicase. The significance of the study could be enhanced with functional experiments of NRL-R-loop interactions in the developing retina and their potential role in photoreceptor health and gene regulation.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Protonation/deprotonation-driven switch for the redox stability of low-potential [4Fe-4S] ferredoxin

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Kei Wada
   2. Kenji Kobayashi
   3. Iori Era
   4. Yusuke Isobe
   5. Taigo Kamimura
   6. Masaki Marukawa
   7. Takayuki Nagae
   8. Kazuki Honjo
   9. Noriko Kaseda
   10. Yumiko Motoyama
   11. Kengo Inoue
   12. Masakazu Sugishima
   13. Katsuhiro Kusaka
   14. Naomine Yano
   15. Keiichi Fukuyama
   16. Masaki Mishima
   17. Yasutaka Kitagawa
   18. Masaki Unno

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Ferredoxins are ubiquitous electron transfer proteins that drive essential metabolic processes across all domains of life. This fundamental contribution to the field provides the first description of how specific amino acids, though a series of hydrogen bonds, control the ability of iron-sulfur clusters in ferrodoxins to accept and donate electrons. The evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling as is the combined use of neutron crystallography with X-ray crystallography and classical spectral/redox studies.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Basal Cambrian soft-bodied segmented bilaterians preserved as microbial pseudomorphs

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Xiaoguang Yang
   2. Deng Wang
   3. Zhiliang Zhang
   4. Xing Wang
   5. Jie Sun
   6. Wenjing Hao
   7. Yiqun Liu
   8. Kentaro Uesugi
   9. Tsuyoshi Komiya
   10. Jian Han

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript describes valuable new material of small, unusually preserved fossils from deep in the Cambrian of China and argues they represent very early bilaterian animals such as annelids or panarthropods. The authors present convincing evidence of the fossilisation of specimens as microbial pseudomorphs, however, the fossils show few details and it is difficult to assess their affinity. The broader claims made about the timing and nature of the Cambrian explosion are inadequately supported by the material, given that bilaterians were already known to exist during that period.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Osterix Facilitates Osteocytic Communication by Targeting Connexin43

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Zuping Wu
   2. Qian Chen
   3. Qian Gao
   4. Muchun Liang
   5. Yumeng Zhou
   6. Li Zhu
   7. Jiahe Wang
   8. Yang Shen
   9. Junjun Jing
   10. Jing Xie
   11. Xiaoheng Liu
   12. Shujuan Zou
   13. Demao Zhang
   14. Chenchen Zhou

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study offers valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms by which Osx influences osteocyte function, particularly through its regulation of Cx43. However, the evidence supporting the authors' claims is incomplete, necessitating additional experimental data and further investigation to fully substantiate these findings. While this study presents a new perspective on the complex role of Osx in bone biology, it also raises significant questions about the intricacies of its regulatory network.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Mapping HIV-1 RNA structure, homodimers, long-range interactions and persistent domains by HiCapR

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Yan Zhang
   2. Jingwan Han
   3. Xie Dejian
   4. Wenlong Shen
   5. Ping Li
   6. Jian You Lau
   7. Jingyun Li
   8. Lin Li
   9. Grzegorz Kudla
   10. Zhihu Zhao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript focuses on the identification of RNA crosslinks within the HIV RNA genome under different conditions i.e. in infected cells and in virions using a new method called HiCapR. These cross-links reveal long-range interactions that can be used to determine the structural arrangement of the viral RNA, providing valuable data that show differences in the genomic organization in different conditions. The data analysis, however, is incomplete and based on extensive computational analysis from a limited number of datasets.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. A single-cell atlas of spatial and temporal gene expression in the mouse cranial neural plate

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Eric R Brooks
   2. Andrew R Moorman
   3. Bhaswati Bhattacharya
   4. Ian S Prudhomme
   5. Max Land
   6. Heather L Alcorn
   7. Roshan Sharma
   8. Dana Pe'er
   9. Jennifer A Zallen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This comprehensive scRNAseq atlas of the cranial region during neural induction, patterning, and morphogenesis provides a fundamental demonstration of how different cell fates are organized in specific spatial patterns along the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral axes within the developing neural tissue. The compelling data are analyzed with a rigorous computational approach, and the data revealed both known and novel genes differentially expressed along rostro-caudal and medio-lateral axes. This will be a helpful resource for researchers studying brain development.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Tom1p ubiquitin ligase structure, interaction with Spt6p, and function in maintaining normal transcript levels and the stability of chromatin in promoters

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Jennifer Madrigal
    2. Heidi L Schubert
    3. Matthew A Sdano
    4. Laura McCullough
    5. Zaily Connell
    6. Tim Formosa
    7. Christopher P Hill

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This useful manuscript presents findings on Tom1p's interaction with Spt6p and its role in chromatin dynamics, supported by structural analysis through CryoEM. The evidence for the conclusions is currently incomplete, lacking key experiments including continuation in vivo interaction and orthogonal binding assays (e.g., SPR, MST, ITC) to fully support the proposed mechanism. While the results are promising, further validation is needed to strengthen the evidence and improve the manuscript's overall cohesion.

    Reviewed by eLife