eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. An Improved Bacterial Single-cell RNA-seq Reveals Biofilm Heterogeneity

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Xiaodan Yan
   2. Hebin Liao
   3. Chenyi Wang
   4. Chun Huang
   5. Wei Zhang
   6. Chunming Guo
   7. Yingying Pu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work introduces an important new method for depleting ribosomal RNA from bacterial single-cell RNA sequencing libraries, demonstrating its applicability for studying heterogeneity in microbial biofilms. The findings provide convincing evidence for a distinct subpopulation of cells at the biofilm base that upregulates PdeI expression. Future studies exploring the functional relationship between PdeI and c-di-GMP levels, along with the roles of co-expressed genes within the same cluster, could further enhance the depth and impact of these conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. PRR adjuvants restrain high stability peptides presentation on APCs

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Bin Li
   2. Jin Zhang
   3. Taojun He
   4. Hanmei Yuan
   5. Hui Wu
   6. Peng Wang
   7. Chao Wu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides interesting insights into the mechanisms of action of adjuvants. It shows that adjuvants, MPLA and CpG especially, modulate the peptide repertoires presented on the surface of antigen presenting cells, and surprisingly, adjuvant favored the presentation of low-stability peptides rather than high-stability peptides by antigen presenting cells. As a result, the low stability peptide presented in adjuvant groups elicits T cell response effectively. Evidence in support of these conclusions is solid, and this paper would be of interest to vaccinologists and immunologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Functional genomics reveals strain-specific genetic requirements conferring hypoxic growth in Mycobacterium intracellulare

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Yoshitaka Tateishi
   2. Yuriko Ozeki
   3. Akihito Nishiyama
   4. Yuta Morishige
   5. Yusuke Minato
   6. Anthony David Baughn
   7. Sohkichi Matsumoto

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study makes a valuable contribution by elucidating the genetic determinants of growth and fitness across multiple clinical strains of Mycobacterium intracellulare, an understudied non-tuberculous mycobacterium. Using transposon sequencing (Tn-seq), the authors identify a core set of 131 genes essential for bacterial adaptation to hypoxia, providing a convincing foundation for anti-mycobacterial drug discovery.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Intestinal microbiome dysbiosis increases Mycobacteria pulmonary colonization in mice by regulating the Nos2-associated pathways

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. MeiQing Han
   2. Xia Wang
   3. Lin Su
   4. Shiqi Pan
   5. Ningning Liu
   6. Duan Li
   7. Liang Liu
   8. JunWei Cui
   9. Huajie Zhao
   10. Fan Yang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study shows the effect of gut dysbiosis on the colonization of mycobacteria in the lung. The data with comprehensive analysis of gene expression profiles in the lung with dysbiotic mice is compelling and goes beyond the current state of the art. However, the mechanistic insight, where the lung epithelial cell line was used, and the experiments with Mtb infection are currently incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. A lytic transglycosylase connects bacterial focal adhesion complexes to the peptidoglycan cell wall

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Carlos A Ramirez Carbo
   2. Olalekan G Faromiki
   3. Beiyan Nan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The manuscript by Carbo et al. reports a novel role for the MltG homolog AgmT in gliding motility in M. xanthus. The authors provide convincing data to demonstrate that AgmT is a cell wall lytic enzyme (likely a lytic transglycosylase), its lytic activity is required for gliding motility, and that its activity is required for proper binding of a component of the motility apparatus to the cell wall. The findings are valuable as they contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between gliding motility and the bacterial cell wall.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Interleukin-1 prevents SARS-CoV-2-induced membrane fusion to restrict viral transmission via induction of actin bundles

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Xu Zheng
   2. Shi Yu
   3. Yanqiu Zhou
   4. Kuai Yu
   5. Yuhui Gao
   6. Mengdan Chen
   7. Dong Duan
   8. Yunyi Li
   9. Xiaoxian Cui
   10. Jiabin Mou
   11. Yuying Yang
   12. Xun Wang
   13. Min Chen
   14. Yaming Jiu
   15. Jincun Zhao
   16. Guangxun Meng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides important insights into how IL-1 cytokines protect cells against SARS-CoV-2 infection. By inducing a non-canonical RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway, IL-1beta inhibits the ability of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells to fuse with uninfected cells and produce syncytia. Convincing evidence underlies the identification of the key signaling components required for this inhibitory phenotype, and suggests that this process may also function to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Altering the redox status of Chlamydia trachomatis directly impacts its developmental cycle progression

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Vandana Singh
   2. Scot P Ouellette

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, the authors propose a model wherein the bacterial redox state plays a crucial role in the differentiation of Chlamydia trachomatis into elementary and reticulate bodies. They provide solid evidence to argue that a highly oxidising environment favours the formation of elementary bodies while a reducing condition slows down development. Overall, the study convincingly demonstrates that Chlamydial redox states play a role in differentiation, an observation that may have implications for the study of other bacterial systems.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Reprogramming of host energy metabolism mediated by the TNF-iNOS-HIF-1α axis plays a key role in host resistance to Plasmodium infection

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Kely C Matteucci
   2. Patricia A Assis
   3. Isabella C Hirako
   4. Nathalia PS Leite
   5. Franciele Pioto
   6. Ogooluwa Ojelabi
   7. Juliana E Toller-Kawahisa
   8. Diego L Costa
   9. João S Da Silva
   10. José C Alves-Filho
   11. Ricardo T Gazzinelli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study examines the role of TNF in modulating energy metabolism during parasite infection. The authors perform an elegant set of studies, however the evidence supporting the major claims of the manuscript is incomplete. This work integrates an interesting set of observations that will be of interest to the Plasmodium and pathogenesis communities with an expanded set of experiments.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. The impact of different antimicrobial exposures on the gut microbiome in the ARMORD observational study

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Leon Peto
   2. Nicola Fawcett
   3. Musaiwale M Kamfose
   4. Claire Scarborough
   5. Andy Peniket
   6. Robert Danby
   7. Timothy EA Peto
   8. Derrick W Crook
   9. Martin J Llewelyn
   10. Ann Sarah Walker

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study offers a valuable assessment of the impact of antibiotics on the human gut microbiota across diverse observational cohorts. The findings presented are convincing, despite the observational design and residual confounding that may still contribute to discrepancies between the cross-sectional and longitudinal data. The work is relevant for researchers and clinicians interested in antimicrobial resistance and the impact of antibiotics on the host.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Changes in local mineral homeostasis facilitate the formation of benign and malignant testicular microcalcifications

    This article has 18 authors:

    1. Ida Marie Boisen
    2. Nadia Krarup Knudsen
    3. John E Nielsen
    4. Ireen Kooij
    5. Mathilde Louise Bagger
    6. Jovanna Kaludjerovic
    7. Peter O'Shaughnessy
    8. Peter W Andrews
    9. Noriko Ide
    10. Birgitte G Toft
    11. Anders Juul
    12. Arnela Mehmedbasic
    13. Anne Jørgensen
    14. Lee B Smith
    15. Richard Norman
    16. Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts
    17. Beate Lanske
    18. Martin Blomberg Jensen

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study reports the link between a disruption in testicular mineral (phosphate) homeostasis, FGF23 expression, and Sertoli cell dysfunction. The data supporting the conclusion are solid. This work will be of interest to biomedical researchers working on testis biology and male infertility. The assessment is based on the editors' critical evaluation of the authors' responses.

    Reviewed by eLife