eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Three-dimensional and molecular brain atlas of the hagfish reveals the evolutionary origin and early diversification of the vertebrate brain

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Riho Harada
   2. Motoki Tamura
   3. Hirofumi Kariyayama
   4. Shigenori Nonaka
   5. Daichi G Suzuki

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study is useful and unique, since hagfish brains are of phylogenetic importance and can reveal features ancestral to all vertebrates. The manuscript is, however, incomplete and would benefit from contextualization with the current literature; comparisons with the recent amphioxus study are suggested, plus an increased focus on the specific, unique features of the hagfish brain. One significant concern is the apparent absence of Datx2 expression, given that the riboprobe was synthesized from cDNA derived from whole-brain RNA extracts. Ideally, the authors should identify a tissue in which Datx2 is known to be strongly expressed and then apply the probe as a positive control.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Cross-Species BAC Transgenesis Reveals Long-Range Regulation Drives Variation in Brain Oxytocin Receptor Expression and Social Behaviors

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Mina Tsukamoto
   2. Luis AE Nagai
   3. Kiyoshi Inoue
   4. Lenin C. Kandasamy
   5. Maria F. Pires
   6. Minsoo Shin
   7. Yutaro Nagasawa
   8. Tsetsegee Sambuu
   9. Kenta Nakai
   10. Shigeyoshi Itohara
   11. Larry J Young
   12. Qi Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides important insights into how species-specific variation in oxytocin receptor regulatory architecture contributes to diversity in brain expression patterns and social behaviors. By generating multiple BAC transgenic mouse lines carrying the prairie vole oxytocin receptor locus and combining anatomical, molecular, behavioral, and chromatin-structure analyses, the authors present convincing evidence that distal regulatory elements constrain peripheral expression while permitting brain expression aligned with behavior. This study provides an experimental framework and a resource that are of value for dissecting how regulatory variation in neuromodulatory systems contributes to species differences in social behavior. This work will be of interest to those interested in social behavior, oxytocin, neuromodulation, and related conditions.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Gene synteny and translational coupling of sctS and sctT facilitate assembly of the unique helical T3SS export apparatus in Salmonella Typhimurium

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Eunjin Kim
   2. Mirjam Forberger
   3. Felix Weichel
   4. Claudia Paroll
   5. Jialin Zhou
   6. Iwan Grin
   7. Samuel Wagner

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Kim et al. provide important findings explaining how T3SS assembly is regulated by a conserved genetic context. The evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling, with numerous experiments demonstrating the validity of the findings. The work will be of interest to molecular biologists, biochemists, and microbiologists working on secretion systems or similar complexes. Further studies revealing similar mechanisms in other systems would enhance the impact of the current study.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Gβγ engages PLCβ3 at multiple sites to reorient and facilitate its activation

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Isaac J Fisher
   2. Kanishka Senarath
   3. Kennedy Outlaw
   4. Kaushik Muralidharan
   5. Elisabeth E Garland-Kuntz
   6. Michelle Van Camp
   7. Tommy Komay
   8. Asuka Inoue
   9. Eva Kostenis
   10. Nevin A Lambert
   11. Angeline M Lyon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study combines cryo-EM, biochemical, and cell-based assays to examine how Gβγ interacts with and potentiates PLCβ3. The authors present evidence for multiple Gβγ interaction surfaces and argue that Gβγ primarily enhances PLCβ3 activity after membrane recruitment rather than serving mainly as a membrane-recruitment factor. The evidence is solid overall, although uncertainty remains about the physiological relevance and precise arrangement of the proposed interfaces because the structural model relies on engineered crosslinking.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Evolution of sideways locomotion in crabs

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Junya Taniguchi
   2. Tsubasa Inoue
   3. Kano Kohara
   4. Jung-Fu Huang
   5. Atsushi Hirai
   6. Nobuaki Mizumoto
   7. Fumio Takeshita
   8. Yuuki Kawabata

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents a comparative dataset on crab locomotion to examine the evolution of sideways walking. The evidence supporting the authors' claims is largely convincing. This work will be of interest to researchers in animal locomotion.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. MATR3 is essential for oocyte growth and maturation quality through a dual molecular mechanism

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Yibing Bao
   2. Zhenzi Zuo
   3. Tengteng Wang
   4. Lin Lin
   5. Meng Gao
   6. Shaogang Qin
   7. Qingfeng Yang
   8. Bingying Liu
   9. Wanyuan Sun
   10. Jie Ma
   11. Tianhua Zhu
   12. Guoliang Xia
   13. Bo Zhou
   14. Rong Hu
   15. Hua Zhang
   16. Fengchao Wang
   17. Chao Wang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides valuable insights into the role of MATR3 in oocyte maturation and folliculogenesis, using conditional knockout mice and in vitro follicle culture systems to show that MATR3 is required for oocyte growth and gene transcription, with downstream effects on follicle development. The strength of the evidence is incomplete, as key findings lack independent validation, methodological details are insufficient, and inconsistencies in data presentation reduce confidence in the conclusions. The work will be of interest to researchers in reproductive biology and fertility.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Hierarchical cross-linking of a bacterial spore coat Hub protein

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Khira Amara
   2. Catarina Fernandes
   3. David QP Reis
   4. Daniela Silva
   5. Carmen Olivença
   6. Bruno Gonçalves
   7. Tiago Pais
   8. Maria L Martins
   9. Guillem Hernandez
   10. Cristina Timóteo
   11. Ricardo A Gomes
   12. Ana S Pina
   13. Mónica Serrano
   14. Tiago N Cordeiro
   15. Adriano O Henriques

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable article provides a convincing and very detailed model of the process regulating the assembly of the spore coat in the model spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis. It focuses on SafA, a morphogenetic coat protein involved in the assembly of the spore coat inner layer, deciphering the contributions of disulfide bond formation and crosslinking reactions catalyzed by a transglutaminase. The process had been studied with a combination of genetics and microscopy, but this is the first complete assessment incorporating detailed biochemical approaches.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Molidustat Targets a Synthetic Lethal Vulnerability in APC-Mutant Colorectal Cancer through GSTP1 and PHD2 Co-Inhibition

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Chiara Asselborn
   2. Agata N. Makar
   3. Jair G. Marques
   4. Aslihan B. Akan
   5. Athanasia Yiapanas
   6. Carrie Jennings
   7. Ana Perez Lopez
   8. Jimi Wills
   9. Asier Unciti Broceta
   10. Kevin B. Myant
   11. Alexander von Kriegsheim

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important paper substantially advances our understanding of how Molidustat may work, beyond its canonical role, by identifying its therapeutic targets in cancer. This study presents a compelling and well-structured investigation into the therapeutic vulnerabilities of APC-mutant colorectal cancer. This work will be of broad interest to the cancer community in studying small molecules and their therapeutic targets.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Design and experimental characterization of specificity-switching mutational paths of WW domains

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Ahmed Rehan
   2. Eugenio Mauri
   3. Jorge Fernandez-de-Cossio-Diaz
   4. Pierre-Guillaume Brun
   5. Remi Monasson
   6. Marco Ribezzi-Crivellari
   7. Simona Cocco

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this important study, the authors demonstrate that generative AI techniques (restricted Boltzmann machine) can be used effectively to design and characterize mutational pathways of WW domains with different binding specificities. The computational studies are complemented by experimental validations, and the results provide solid evidence supporting the idea that sequence landscape holds significance in understanding protein evolution from a transition path perspective. The minor weakness of the study in the current form concerns limited success in designing variants with smoothly varying binding specificities. Nevertheless, the work will likely have a major impact on research aimed at understanding how evolution navigates fitness landscapes as well as reconstructing ancestral sequences.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Separation slang – Laboratory mice use low-frequency call repertoire during physical separation

    This article has 4 authors:

    1. Daniel Breslav
    2. Michal Wojcik
    3. Ursula Koch
    4. Thorsten Becker

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study represents a useful finding on the social modulation of the complex repertoire of vocalizations made across a variety of strains of lab mice. The evidence supporting the claims is, at present, incomplete, as numerous concerns regarding the appropriate categorization of vocalizations, the averaging of data points with disparate levels of occurrence, the interpretation of the function of noisy calls, and a general lack of adequate analyses of experimental data were raised. With these issues addressed, the work will be of importance to scientists studying rodent vocal communication.

    Reviewed by eLife