eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Evolutionary remodeling of non-canonical ORF translation in mammals

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Yue Chang
   2. Tianyu Lei
   3. Feng Zhou
   4. Jiawen Jiang
   5. Yu Huang
   6. Ziyang Zhu
   7. Hong Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a large, systematically curated catalog of non-canonical open reading frames (ncORFs) in human and mouse by reanalyzing nearly 400 Ribo-seq datasets using a standardized pipeline; the resulting atlas consolidates ncORF annotations across tissues and provides a valuable reference for understanding non-canonical translation and ORF emergence. The main conclusions are supported by consistent data processing and multiple computational measures of translation and conservation. While the pipeline is transparent and robust, several downstream analyses are descriptive, and some evolutionary interpretations remain correlative; dataset heterogeneity, uneven tissue representation, and limited experimental validation also constrain the strength of a subset of the findings. Overall, the evidence is solid, and the resource will be broadly used by the community.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Distinct brain mechanisms support trust violations, belief integration, and bias in human-AI teams

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Luisa Roeder
   2. Pamela Hoyte
   3. Graham Kerr
   4. Peter Bruza
   5. Johan N van der Meer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides a useful investigation of human-AI interaction and decision-making, using both behavioral and electrophysiological measures. However, the theoretical framework and experimental design are incomplete, with an unclear task structure and feedback implementation limiting interpretability. With these issues addressed, the work could make a significant contribution to understanding human-AI collaboration.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Pre-Cambrian origin of envelope-carrying retrotransposons in metazoans

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Shashank Chary
   2. Rippei Hayashi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides convincing evidence that envelope-carrying Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons (errantiviruses) are ancient, widespread, and actively expanding across nearly all major animal phyla. Using comprehensive phylogenetic and AlphaFold2-based structural analyses, the authors show that these elements independently acquired membrane fusion proteins early in metazoan evolution, likely predating the bilaterian-non-bilaterian split. While some aspects could be more clearly contextualized and explained better, the work offers insights into the deep evolutionary roots of retroelement-envelope associations and the origins of retroviruses.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. E(spl)m4 Directly Antagonizes Traf4 to Inhibit JNK Signaling in Drosophila

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Katrin Strobel
   2. Jennifer Falconi
   3. Cédric Leyrat
   4. Rémi Logeay
   5. Sarah J Bray
   6. Alexandre Djiane

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors identify the Bearded-type small protein E(spl)m4 as a physical and genetic interactor of TRAF4 in the Drosophila wing disc. These valuable findings with potential biomedical relevance are, however, supported by incomplete evidence based largely on overexpression studies that lack quantification, limited molecular support for their model, and issues with Bearded family protein specificity. The work could be of interest to researchers in the fields of cell signaling and developmental biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Determining fragility and robustness to missing data in binary outcome meta-analyses, illustrated with conflicting associations between vitamin D and cancer mortality

   This article has 1 author:

   1. David Robert Grimes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript makes a valuable contribution to the concept of fragility of meta-analyses via the so-called 'ellipse of insignificance for meta-analyses' (EOIMETA). The strength of evidence is solid, supported primarily by an example of the fragility of meta-analyses in the association between Vitamin D supplementation and cancer mortality, but the approach could be applied in other meta-analytic contexts. The significance of the work could be enhanced with a more thorough assessment of the impact of between-study heterogeneity, additional case studies, and improved contextualization of the proposed approach in relation to other methods.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Dark matter of an orchid: metagenome of the microbiome associated with the rhizosphere of Dactylorhiza traunsteineri

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Gabriel A Vignolle
   2. Leopold Zehetner
   3. Christian Zimmerman
   4. Domenico F Savio
   5. Ovidiu Paun
   6. Robert L Mach
   7. Astrid R Mach-Aigner
   8. Julien Charest

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a useful overview of the taxonomic composition of the microbiome associated with Dactylorhiza traunsteineri, a widely distributed orchid species in Central Europe. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is incomplete, especially when it comes to the (secondary) metabolic pathways found in the metagenome assembled genomes, and requires more substantial analysis to be able to claim that these pathways play a key role in microbiome-orchid symbiosis.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Hyperactivated Glycolysis Drives Spatially-Patterned Kupffer Cell Depletion in MASLD

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Jia He
   2. Ran Li
   3. Cheng Xie
   4. Xiane Zhu
   5. Keqin Wang
   6. Zhao Shan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors aim to understand why Kupffer cells (KCs) die in metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This is a useful study using in vitro studies and an in vivo genetic mouse model, suggesting that increased glycolysis contributes to KC death in MASLD. However, the data presented are incomplete as some inconsistencies in the results presented are identified in the characterisation of KCs. This work will be of interest to researchers in the immunology and metabolism fields.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. An interneuronal CRH and CRHBP circuit stabilizes birdsong performance

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Bradley M Colquitt
   2. Michael S Brainard

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a useful study that examines the relationship between neuropeptide signaling and the precision of vocal motor output using the songbird as a model system. The study presents evidence based on differential expression patterns and genetic or pharmacological inhibition of various neuropeptide genes for a causal role in song performance; however, this evidence is incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Candida albicans drives colorectal cancer progression by inducing hypoxia signaling

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Wanqiu Wang
   2. Mengqi Yang
   3. Fanglei Gong
   4. Zhenyu Zhang
   5. Yanping Ma
   6. Haihuang Li
   7. Yu Zhao
   8. Changzheng Du
   9. Ningning Li
   10. Guiwei He
   11. Kun Sun

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study examines the role of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans in the progression of colorectal cancer, a relevant and urgent topic given the global incidence of colon cancer. While the findings are useful and provide solid experimental work and insight into how Candida may contribute to tumor progression, the small patient sample size, reliance on in vitro models, and absence of in vivo validation may limit its impact. This work will interest scientists studying cancer progression and the role played by pathogens.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Natural xanthones as α-Mangostin induce vasorelaxation via binding to key gating residues in the S6 domain of BK channels

    This article has 4 authors:

    1. Sönke Cordeiro
    2. Robert Patejdl
    3. Thomas Baukrowitz
    4. Marianne Musinszki

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      The present manuscript by Cordeiro et al., shows convincing evidence that α-mangostin, a xanthone obtained from the fruit of the Garcinia mangostana tree, behaves as a strong activator of the large-conductance (BK) potassium channels; macroscopic currents and single-channel experiments show that α-mangostin produces an increase in the probability of opening, without affecting the single-channel conductance. The authors put forward that α-mangostin activation of the BK channel is state-independent, and molecular docking and mutagenesis suggest that α-mangostin binds to a site in the internal cavity. Additionally, the authors show that α-mangostin can relax arteries, further suggesting the plausibility of the proposed effects of this compound. These are valuable findings that should be of interest to channel biophysicists and physiologists alike.

    Reviewed by eLife