eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Mycobacterium tuberculosis suppresses protective Th17 responses during infection

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Alex Zilinskas
   2. Amir Balakhmet
   3. Douglas Fox
   4. Heyuan Michael Ni
   5. Carolina Agudelo
   6. Helia Samani
   7. Sarah A Stanley

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study demonstrates that Mycobacterium tuberculosis suppresses protective Th17/IL-17 responses in C57BL/6 mice via a Tbet-dependent mechanism involving the virulence factors ESX-1 and PDIM, as mutants lacking these factors induce significantly higher IL-17-producing CD4 T cells and IL-17A in the lungs compared to wild-type bacteria. The experiments are rigorous and well-designed, combining host knockouts and bacterial mutants to yield solid evidence pointing to cross-regulation between Th1 and Th17 pathways, including reduced IL-23 in draining lymph node dendritic cells. However, some of the data on IFN-γ effects or lymph node-specific mechanisms are incomplete and require deeper mechanistic insight, such as direct T cell transcription factor analysis in lymph nodes and broader host validation, to strengthen the work. Overall, the findings provide insight into how bacterial virulence factors limit Th17 induction, thereby promoting persistence, and will interest immunologists and TB researchers focused on host-pathogen balance and vaccine strategies.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Computational mechanisms for temporal integration in the anterior claustrum

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Kuenbae Sohn
   2. Donghyeon Yoon
   3. Junghwa Lee
   4. Sukwoo Choi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work provides an important modeling-based framework for understanding the processes of temporal integration in the claustrum. These mechanisms could support a broader range of integrative brain function. However, at present, the evidence remains at least in part incomplete, primarily because of over-interpretation of the results and their connection to neurophysiology.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Molecular architecture of the tumor microenvironment caused by BRCA1 and BRCA2 somatic mutations in lung adenocarcinoma

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Gaoming Liao
   2. Xinbin Yang
   3. Qi Liu
   4. Shufeng Nan
   5. Yan Liu
   6. Jinwei Li
   7. Si Huang
   8. Wang Ning
   9. Xionghai Qin
   10. Gang Xu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study investigates the impact of BRCA1/2 mutations on immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma using multi-omics approaches. The detailed genetic analysis of two cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) demonstrated new roles for these genes in causing the tumor microenvironment in lung cancer. Further experimental explorations of the immune-related changes may still be required. The solid findings of this study provide a foundation for further developing drugs targeting BRCA1/2 in lung cancer therapy.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Noradrenergic infraslow rhythm during sleep is the critical link between heart-rate dynamics and memory consolidation

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Sofie S Jacobsen
   2. Allison B Morehouse
   3. Pin-Chun Chen
   4. Ryszard S Gomolka
   5. Mie Andersen
   6. Maiken Nedergaard
   7. Sara C Mednick
   8. Celia Kjaerby

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides evidence that locus coeruleus activity is coordinated with heart rate during sleep, confirming previous work in mice and humans, with a possible role for sleep-dependent memory consolidation. The claims are supported by solid evidence, although the underlying mechanisms and the predictive value of the correlative dataset would benefit from additional controls. This work will be of interest to neuroscientists focusing on sleep, memory, and autonomic functions.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Repurposed small molecule toxin inhibitors neutralise a diversity of venoms from the Neotropical viperid snake genus Bothrops

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Rachel H Clare
   2. Adam Westhorpe
   3. Emma Stars
   4. Taline D Kazandjian
   5. Laura-Oana Albulescu
   6. Stefanie K Menzies
   7. Nicholas R Casewell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The findings of this study are important since they cover the repurposing of small molecules as metalloprotease and phospholipase inhibitors for early intervention in the treatment of bothropic envenoming in the Neotropics, and thus provide a strong rationale for the progression of these inhibitors into future preclinical and clinical evaluation for snakebite indications across various ecological zones. The strength of the evidence is solid; however, there are some weaknesses, such as a lack of translatability of the in vivo model and insufficient venom characterisation. Thus, the strength of the evidence can be enhanced by the use of a mouse model. The paper remains of interest to ophiologists, biochemists and medicinal chemists.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Neural Mechanisms of Willed Attention Control

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Changhao Xiong
   2. Qiang Yang
   3. Sungkean Kim
   4. Sreenivasan Meyyappan
   5. Jesse J Bengson
   6. George R Mangun
   7. Mingzhou Ding

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study supplements previous publications of willed attention by addressing a frontoparietal network that supports internal goal generation. The evidence is solid in analyzing two datasets collected at different independent sites, using the same willed-attention paradigm and combining fMRI and EEG. This work will interest cognitive psychologists and neuroscience researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. The effect of physical activity on brain structure and cognitive function in the population-based cohort of LIFE-Adult-Study

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Polona Kalc
   2. Rober Dahnke
   3. Christian Sander
   4. Frauke Beyer
   5. Andrea Zülke
   6. Steffi G Riedel-Heller
   7. Veronica Witte
   8. Christian Gaser

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable examination of two measurements of physical activity (self-report and objective) in relation to widely studied structural MRI measures of the brain (hippocampal volume and BrainAGE) and cognitive function (Trail Making Test). Cross-sectional and longitudinal data were analyzed using established and validated methodology. The results convincingly suggest that brain health is more likely a cause of physical activity than an outcome of it, although limitations to the data could mask evidence of benefits to brain health. This work will be of interest to neurologists and epidemiologists studying the etiology of cognitive decline, to clinicians interested in advising patients on strategies for preserving brain health in aging, and to members of the lay public.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Designing optimal perturbation inputs for system identification in neuroscience

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Mikito Ogino
   2. Daiki Sekizawa
   3. Jun Kitazono
   4. Masafumi Oizumi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors establish solid theoretical principles for designing brain perturbations under the assumption that brain activity evolves under a linear model. By prioritizing low-variance components, resonant frequencies, and hub nodes, this framework provides an important foundation for optimizing information gain, neural state classification, and the control of neural dynamics. However, the lack of investigation of model mismatch makes the study incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Desert Hedgehog mediates stem Leydig cell differentiation through Ptch2/Gli1/Sf1 signaling axis

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Changle Zhao
   2. Yongxun Chen
   3. Lei Liu
   4. Xiang Liu
   5. Hesheng Xiao
   6. Feilong Wang
   7. Qin Huang
   8. Xiangyan Dai
   9. Wenjing Tao
   10. Deshou Wang
   11. Jing Wei

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides valuable contributions to establish canonical Dhh signaling as a primary mediator in the differentiation of Leydig cells and their steroidogenic capacity. Together, the experimental design using their established stem Leydig cell line alongside relevant genetically mutated models, both derived using the relevant Nile tilapia animal system, provided largely convincing evidence to support their conclusions. The work could benefit from a more rigorous dissection of current literature on this pathway that might better inform their conclusions. The work will be of broad interest to developmental biologists interested in differentiation of steroidogenic or hormone producing cells.

     [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Pupil size reveals the perceptual quality and effortless nature of synesthesia

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Christoph Strauch
    2. Casper Leenaars
    3. Romke Rouw

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study used pupillometry to provide an objective assessment of a form of synesthesia in which people see additional color when reading numbers. It provides convincing evidence that subjective color ratings are matched by changes in pupil size that recapitulate brightness-mediated changes when exposed to the real color. The work provides a valuable contribution to the literature on both synesthetic perception and the use of pupillometry to probe perception and related psychological processes.

    Reviewed by eLife