eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Ribosomal RNA methylation by GidB modulates discrimination of mischarged tRNA

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Zhuo Bi
   2. Yu-Xiang Chen
   3. Iris D Young
   4. Mohamad T Dandan
   5. Hemant Joshi
   6. Hong-Wei Su
   7. Yuemeng Chen
   8. Jia-Yao Hong
   9. James S Fraser
   10. Babak Javid

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study by Bi and colleagues employed a clever genetics screen to uncover the role of the GidB rRNA methylase in translation fidelity, under certain conditions, in Mycobacterium smegmatis. The findings are solid, supporting the findings that the loss of GidB results in mistranslation. The work contributes to a more in-depth understanding of mycobacterial translation fidelity and will be of interest to microbiologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. S100a4+ alveolar macrophages accelerate the progression of precancerous atypical adenomatous hyperplasia by promoting the angiogenic function regulated by fatty acid metabolism

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Hong Huang
   2. Ying Yang
   3. Qiuju Zhang
   4. Yongfeng Yang
   5. Zhenqi Xiong
   6. Shengqiang Mao
   7. Tingting Song
   8. Yilong Wang
   9. Zhiqiang Liu
   10. Hong Bu
   11. Li Zhang
   12. Le Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important study demonstrating the importance of S100A4+ alveolar macrophages in the earlier stages of tumour development and suggesting a role in angiogenesis. As such this convincing study is of interest to cancer biologists focused on early tumour development and those interested in the development of therapeutics that may specifically target early cancers.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Distinct mechanisms of inhibition of Kv2 potassium channels by tetraethylammonium and RY785

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Shan Zhang
   2. Robyn Stix
   3. Esam A Orabi
   4. Nathan Bernhardt
   5. José D Faraldo-Gómez

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study represents an important advance in our understanding of how certain inhibitors affect the behavior of voltage gated potassium channels. Robust molecular dynamics simulation and analysis methods lead to a new proposed inhibition mechanism with convincing strength of support. This study has considerable significance for the fields of ion channel physiology and pharmacology and could aid in development of selective inhibitors for protein targets.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Multi-species genome-wide CRISPR screens identify conserved suppressors of cold-induced cell death

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Breanna Lam
   2. Kathrin M Kajderowicz
   3. Heather R Keys
   4. Julian M Roessler
   5. Evgeni M Frenkel
   6. Adina Kirkland
   7. Punam Bisht
   8. Mohamed A El-Brolosy
   9. Rudolf Jaenisch
   10. George W Bell
   11. Jonathan S Weissman
   12. Eric C Griffith
   13. Sinisa Hrvatin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents important findings on cold tolerance shared between hibernating and non-hibernating mammals, identifying a key molecule, GPX4, through multi-species genome-wide CRISPR screens. The evidence supporting these conclusions is compelling, combining multi-species CRISPR screening with rigorous pharmacological assays. This work will be of significant interest to biologists studying hibernation physiology and medical researchers interested in cold tolerance.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Biochemical and structural insights into the auto-inhibited state of Mical1 and its activation by Rab8

    This article has 4 authors:

    1. Amrita Rai
    2. Petra Janning
    3. Ingrid R Vetter
    4. Roger S Goody

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This fundamental study addresses the regulation of the MICAL-family of actin regulators by Rab GTPases, which play a key role in directing membrane trafficking within cells. The compelling evidence explains how Rab8 family members bind at two sites to allosterically regulate MICAL1, and relieve an auto-inhibited state unable to bind actin. This study lays the basis for further progress in understanding membrane trafficking and cytoskeleton dynamics in eukaryotic cells.

    Reviewed by eLife