eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Contraction-induced endocardial id2b plays a dual role in regulating myocardial contractility and valve formation

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Shuo Chen
   2. Jinxiu Liang
   3. Jie Yin
   4. Weijia Zhang
   5. Peijun Jiang
   6. Wenyuan Wang
   7. Xiaoying Chen
   8. Yuanhong Zhou
   9. Peng Xia
   10. Fan Yang
   11. Ying Gu
   12. Ruilin Zhang
   13. Peidong Han

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding that the biomechanical force of heart contractility is required for robust endocardial id2b expression, which in return promotes valve development and myocardial function through upregulation of Neuregulin 1. The data were collected and analyzed using solid methodology and can be used as a starting point for deeper mechanistic insights into the genetic programs regulating endocardial-myocardial crosstalk during heart development.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Effective population size does not explain long-term variation in genome size and transposable element content in animals

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Alba Marino
   2. Gautier Debaecker
   3. Anna-Sophie Fiston-Lavier
   4. Annabelle Haudry
   5. Benoit Nabholz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study offers a powerful empirical test of a highly influential hypothesis in population genetics. It incorporates a large number of animal genomes spanning a broad phylogenetic spectrum and treats them in a rigorous unified pipeline, providing the convincing negative result that effective population size scales neither with the content of transposable elements nor with overall genome size. These observations demonstrate that there is still no simple, global hypothesis that can explain the observed variation in transposable element content and genome size in animals.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Efficacy and mechanism of action of cipargamin as an antibabesial drug candidate

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Hang Li
   2. Shengwei Ji
   3. Nanang R Ariefta
   4. Eloiza May S Galon
   5. Shimaa AES El-Sayed
   6. Thom Do
   7. Lijun Jia
   8. Miako Sakaguchi
   9. Masahito Asada
   10. Yoshifumi Nishikawa
   11. Xin Qin
   12. Mingming Liu
   13. Xuenan Xuan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable findings with practical and theoretical implications for drug discovery, particularly in the context of repurposing cipargamin CIP for the treatment of Babesia spp. The evidence is solid with the methods, data, and analyses broadly supporting the claims. The paper will be of great interest to scientists in drug discovery, computational biology, and microbiology.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. A unifying account of replay as context-driven memory reactivation

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Zhenglong Zhou
   2. Michael J Kahana
   3. Anna C Schapiro

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important account of replay as recency-weighted context-guided memory reactivation that explains a number of empirical findings across human and rodent memory literatures. The evidence is compelling and the work is likely to inspire further adaptions to incorporate additional biological and cognitive features.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Membrane Binding Controls the ATPase Cycle and Localization of MinD in Bacillus subtilis

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Helge Feddersen
   2. Charlotte Dyckmanns
   3. Marc Bramkamp

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides convincing data suggesting that subcellular localization of the spatial regulator of cell division, MinD, is an intrinsic feature of the protein's ability to associate with the membrane as both a dimer and a monomer. These findings distinguish the behavior of MinD in B. subtilis from its counterpart in E. coli and suggest that there is not a need to invoke additional localization factors. The reviewers felt that the revisions, particularly the additional experiments and changes to the text to make the experimental design and conclusions clearer, improve the quality of the manuscript and will increase its impact.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Membrane affinity difference between MinD monomer and dimer is not crucial for MinD gradient formation in Bacillus subtilis

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Laura C Bohorquez
   2. Henrik Strahl
   3. Davide Marenduzzo
   4. Martin J Thiele
   5. Frank Bürmann
   6. Leendert W Hamoen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In the gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis, the membrane associated ParA family member MinD, concentrates the division inhibitor MinC at cell poles where it prevents aberrant division events. This important study presents compelling data suggesting that polar localization of MinCD is largely due to differences in diffusion rates between monomeric and dimeric MinD. This finding is exciting as it negates the necessity for a third, localization determinant, in this system as has been proposed by previous investigations.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. From multiplicity of infection to force of infection for sparsely sampled Plasmodium falciparum populations at high transmission

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Qi Zhan
   2. Kathryn E Tiedje
   3. Karen P Day
   4. Mercedes Pascual

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The ability to estimate the force of infection for Plasmodium falciparum from other more directly measurable epidemiological quantities would contribute to malaria epidemiology. The authors propose a method to accomplish this using genetic data from the var genes of the Pf genome and novel applications of existing methods from queueing theory. After revising the manuscript, this is a useful contribution to the field and the authors provide solid evidence to support it.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. POMC neurons control fertility through differential signaling of MC4R in kisspeptin neurons

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Rajae Talbi
   2. Todd L Stincic
   3. Kaitlin Ferrari
   4. Choi Ji Hae
   5. Karol Walec
   6. Elizabeth Medve
   7. Achi Gerutshang
   8. Silvia Leon
   9. Elizabeth A McCarthy
   10. Oline K Rønnekleiv
   11. Martin J Kelly
   12. Victor M Navarro

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The study presents compelling evidence that the melanocortin system originating in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in puberty onset, representing a significant advance in our understanding of reproductive biology. The research employs innovative approaches and benefits from the combined expertise of two respected laboratories, enhancing the robustness of the findings. Given the potential impact on human health and the strength of the evidence presented, this fundamental work will likely influence the field substantially and may inform future clinical applications.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. MLCK/MLCP regulates mammalian axon regeneration and redistributes the growth cone F-actin

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Saijilafu
   2. Wei-Hua Wang
   3. Jin-Jin Ma
   4. Yin Yin
   5. Yan-Xia Ma

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Saijilafu et al. describe valuable findings suggesting that MLCK and MLCP bidirectionally regulate NMII phosphorylation ultimately impinging on axonal growth during regeneration in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Solid evidence is collected from culture and in vivo models, and through pharmacologic and genetic loss-of-function approaches. However, how MLCK and MLCP regulates NMII activity is not fully addressed or discussed. In sum, this knowledge is of potential interest for the field due to the relevance of identifying mechanistic details that regulate axonal regeneration

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Coordinated regulation of chemotaxis and resistance to copper by CsoR in Pseudomonas putida

    This article has 9 authors:

    1. Meina He
    2. Yongxin Tao
    3. Kexin Mu
    4. Haoqi Feng
    5. Ying Fan
    6. Tong Liu
    7. Qiaoyun Huang
    8. Yujie Xiao
    9. Wenli Chen

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      Data presented in this useful report suggest a potentially new model for chemotaxis regulation in the gram-negative bacterium P. putida. Data supporting interactions between CheA and the copper-binding protein CsoR, reveal potential mechanisms for coordinating chemotaxis and copper resistance. There was, however, concern about the large number of CheA interactors identified in the initial screen and it was felt that the study was incomplete without a substantial number of additional experiments to test the model and bolster the authors' conclusions.

    Reviewed by eLife