eLife

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1. p53 isoforms have a high aggregation propensity, interact with chaperones and lack binding to p53 interaction partners

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Anamari Brdar
   2. Christian Osterburg
   3. Philipp Münick
   4. Anne Christin Machel
   5. Rajeshwari Rathore
   6. Susanne Osterburg
   7. Büşra Yüksel
   8. Birgit Schäfer
   9. Kristina Desch
   10. Julian D Langer
   11. Ivan Dikic
   12. Volker Dötsch

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript provides an important biochemical analysis of p53 isoforms, highlighting their aggregation propensity, interaction with chaperones, and dominant-negative effects on p53 family members. The authors have substantially strengthened the original manuscript by incorporating new mass spectrometry data and clarifying isoform-specific oligomerization behavior. Although the use of high expression levels limits direct physiological interpretation, the work is carefully framed as an investigation of protein misfolding and stability. Overall, this study offers convincing insights into p53 isoform biophysics with broad implications for cancer biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Screening the MMV Pathogen Box reveals the mitochondrial bc1-complex as a drug target in mature Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Deborah Maus
   2. Elyzana Putrianti
   3. Tobias Hoffmann
   4. Michael Laue
   5. Frank Seeber
   6. Martin Blume

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study utilizes a newly developed approach to culture T gondii bradyzoites in myotubes, and then takes advantage of the antiparasitic compound collection known as the Pathogen Box, to find compounds that target both tachyzoite and bradyzoite forms of the parasite. A set of compounds yielding patterns consistent with targeting the mitochondrial bc1 complex was explored further, with convincing evidence for changes in ATP production in bradyzoites to support the conclusions about the importance of this complex. The paper will be interesting for parasitologists studying drug discovery of apicomplexan parasites.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Pan-tissue transcriptome analysis reveals sex-dimorphic human aging

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Siqi Wang
   2. Danyue Dong
   3. Xin Li
   4. Zefeng Wang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this study Wang et. al. mined publicly available RNA-seq data from The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database spanning multiple tissues to ask the question of how transcriptomes are changed with age and in both sexes. The authors provide solid evidence reporting widespread gene expression changes and alternative splicing events that vary in an age- and sex-dependent manner. An important finding is that many of these changes coincide with the time sex hormones begin to decline; additionally, the rate of aging is faster in males than in females.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Sox9 prevents retinal degeneration and is required for limbal stem cell differentiation in the adult mouse eye

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Alicia Hurtado
   2. Victor López-Soriano
   3. Miguel Lao
   4. M Angeles Celis-Barroso
   5. Pilar Lazúen
   6. Alejandro Chacón-de-Castro
   7. Yolanda Ramírez-Casas
   8. Miguel Alaminos
   9. John Martin Collinson
   10. Miguel Burgos
   11. Rafael Jiménez
   12. F David Carmona
   13. Francisco Javier Barrionuevo

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study informs the transcriptional mechanisms that promote stem cell differentiation and prevent degeneration in the adult eye. Through inducible mouse mutagenesis, the authors uncover a dual role for a transcription factor (Sox9) in stem cell differentiation and prevention of retinal degeneration. The data at hand convincingly support to the main conclusions. The study will be of general interest to the fields of neuronal development and neurodegeneration.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Evolutionary unique N-glycan-dependent protein quality control system plays pivotal roles in cellular fitness and extracellular vesicle transport in Cryptococcus neoformans

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Catia Mota
   2. Kiseung Kim
   3. Ye Ji Son
   4. Eun Jung Thak
   5. Su-Bin Lee
   6. Ju-El Kim
   7. Jeong-Kee Yoon
   8. Min-Ho Kang
   9. Heeyoun Hwang
   10. Yong-Sun Bahn
   11. J Andrew Alspaugh
   12. Hyun Ah Kang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study confirms the molecular function of putative components of the N-glycan-dependent endoplasmic reticulum protein quality control (ERQC) system in the pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. The study demonstrates an involvement in fitness, virulence, and the secretion and composition of extracellular vesicles, albeit in ways that are not yet fully understood. The evidence provided is convincing, with rigorous, well-controlled assays and the use of complemented strains.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Impaired excitability of fast-spiking neurons in a novel mouse model of KCNC1 epileptic encephalopathy

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Eric R Wengert
   2. Sophie R Liebergall
   3. Teresa Jimenez
   4. Melody A Cheng
   5. Kelly H Markwalter
   6. Jerome Clatot
   7. Yerahm Hong
   8. Leroy Arias
   9. Eric D Marsh
   10. Xiaohong Zhang
   11. Theodoros Tsetsenis
   12. Ala Somarowthu
   13. Naiara Akizu
   14. Ethan M Goldberg

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides important evidence for the mechanism underlying KCNC1-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. The authors have generated and characterized a new knock-in mouse with a pathogenic mutation found in patients to determine the synaptic and circuit mechanisms contributing to KCNC1-associated epilepsy. They provide convincing evidence for reduced excitability of parvalbumin-positive fast-spiking interneurons, but not in neighboring excitatory neurons, and suggest that this may contribute to seizures and premature death in the mice.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. FtsK is critical for the assembly of the unique divisome complex of the FtsZ-less Chlamydia trachomatis

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. McKenna Harpring
   2. Junghoon Lee
   3. Guangming Zhong
   4. Scot P Ouellette
   5. John V Cox

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Understanding how the divisome is assembled in Chlamydia trachomatis, a bacterial pathogen, is crucial since this bacterium has a non-canonical cell wall and lacks the master regulator of cell division, FtsZ. This important study shows that a DNA translocase, FtsK, is an early and essential component of the Chlamydia trachomatis divisome. The evidence presented is convincing, leveraging the elegant use of genetics and fluorescence microscopy. As this role of FtsK is distinct relative to most other bacteria, these findings should be of significant interest to bacterial cell biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Twist is the key to the gating of mechanosensitive ion channel NOMPC

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Jingze Duan
   2. Chen Song

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study uses steered molecular dynamics simulations to interrogate force transmission in the mechanosensitive NOMPC channel, which plays roles including soft-touch perception, auditory function, and locomotion. The valuable finding that the ankyrin spring transmits force through torsional rather than compression forces may help understand the entire TRP channel family. The evidence is considered to be solid, although full opening of the channel is not seen, and it has been noted that experimental validation of reduced mechanosensitivity through mutagenesis of proposed ankyrin/TRP domain coupling interactions would help substantiate the findings.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Drift in individual behavioral phenotype as a strategy for unpredictable worlds

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Ryan T Maloney
   2. Athena Q Ye
   3. Sam-Keny Saint-Pre
   4. Tom Alisch
   5. David M Zimmerman
   6. Nicole C Pittoors
   7. Benjamin L de Bivort

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Maloney et al. offer an important contribution to understanding the potential ecological mechanisms behind individual behavioral variation. By providing compelling theoretical and experimental data, the study bridges the gap between individual, apparently stochastic behavior with its evolutionary purpose and consequences. The work further provides a testable and generalizable model framework to explore behavioral drift in other behaviors.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Naa10 regulates hippocampal neurite outgrowth via Btbd3 N-α-acetylation-mediated actin dynamics

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Chien-Te Chou
    2. Ming-Lun Kang
    3. Chen-Cheng Lee
    4. Pang-Hung Hsu
    5. Li-Jung Juan

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study suggests that Naa10, an N-α-acetyltransferase with known mutations that disrupt neurodevelopment, acetylates Btbd3, which has been implicated in neurite outgrowth and obsessive-compulsive disorder, in a manner that regulates F-actin dynamics to facilitate neurite outgrowth. While the study provides promising insights and biochemical, co-immunoprecipitation, and proteomic data that enhance our understanding of protein N-acetylation in neuronal development, the evidence supporting larger claims is incomplete. Nonetheless, the implications of these findings are noteworthy, particularly regarding neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions tied to altered expression of Naa10 or Btbd3.

    Reviewed by eLife