eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Dynamics and regulatory roles of RNA m6A methylation in unbalanced genomes

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Shuai Zhang
   2. Ruixue Wang
   3. Kun Luo
   4. Shipeng Gu
   5. Xinyu Liu
   6. Junhan Wang
   7. Ludan Zhang
   8. Lin Sun

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study suggests that the dosage compensation complex and m6A act in a feedback loop in Drosophila melanogaster. The study provides integrated analyses of RNA sequencing and mapping data of the m6A RNA modification in the context of unbalanced genomes, which suggests that m6A modification status may influence H3K16Ac deposition through regulation of the acetyltransferase MOF. However, it is not clear whether this regulation is directly or indirectly related to m6A regulation. The evidence is considered incomplete due to technical concerns, as quantitative assessments were made using non-quantitative methods.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. β-1,6-Glucan plays a central role in the structure and remodeling of the bilaminate fungal cell wall

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Clara Bekirian
   2. Isabel Valsecchi
   3. Sophie Bachellier-Bassi
   4. Cyril Scandola
   5. J Inaki Guijarro
   6. Murielle Chauvel
   7. Thierry Mourer
   8. Neil AR Gow
   9. Vishu Kumar Aimanianda
   10. Christophe d'Enfert
   11. Thierry Fontaine

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The paper will be of broad interest to fungal biologists and fungal immunologists seeking to understand the biosynthesis of the fungal cell wall, in particular of ß-1,6-glucan synthesis and the importance of this so far understudied constituent of the cell wall for cell wall integrity and immune response. The study is of fundamental significance and adds structural clarity to the genetic, and biochemical basis of this difficult-to-analyze carbohydrate. It opens the potential for understanding its role in immune recognition and potentially as a drug target. Overall, the data is compelling, properly controlled and analyzed.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Dopamine increases protein synthesis in hippocampal neurons enabling dopamine-dependent LTP

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Tanja Fuchsberger
   2. Imogen Stockwell
   3. Matty Woods
   4. Zuzanna Brzosko
   5. Ingo H Greger
   6. Ole Paulsen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript addresses a mechanism by which dopamine (DA) regulates synaptic plasticity. The authors build upon their previous finding that DA applied after a timing pattern that ordinarily induces long-term depression (LTD) now induces long-term potentiation (LTP). The new findings that this "DA-dependent LTP" involves de novo protein synthesis, a cyclicAMP signalling pathway, and calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) are of valuable significance. The conclusions are convincing and largely supported by the evidence provided.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Insect metamorphosis is regulated differently between sexes by members of a microRNA cluster

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Chade Li
   2. Ki Kei Chan
   3. Wenyan Nong
   4. ShanShan Chen
   5. Wai Lok So
   6. Zhe Qu
   7. Heidi YC Wu
   8. Ho Yin Yip
   9. Chi Bun Chan
   10. Stephen S Tobe
   11. William G Bendena
   12. Zhen Peng Kai
   13. Jerome HL Hui

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides a useful inventory of genes that are up- or down-regulated during the early metamorphic development of male and female larvae and proposes that the microRNA cluster miR-277/34 is involved in the development of sexual differences during early metamorphosis of Drosophila melanogaster, although its precise role remains unclear. The strength of evidence, based on a combination of diverse methods including mRNA and small RNA sequencing, in silico analyses, in vitro assays, and loss-of-function experiments, is incomplete as it lacks a general model and an examination of the potential effects of the miR-277/34 mutations on phenotypes such as morphology or developmental time. This work will be of interest to developmental biologists interested in sexual dimorphism and in the interplay between hormones and microRNAs during development.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Resetting of H3K4me2 during mammalian parental-to-zygote transition

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Chong Wang
   2. Yang Li
   3. Yaqian Wang
   4. Yong Shi
   5. Xiangrui Meng
   6. Wenbo Li
   7. Jia Guo
   8. Kaiyue Hu
   9. Hao Chen
   10. Jiawei Xu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents an important finding of dynamic reprogramming of global H3K4me2 during mouse oocyte-to-embryo transition. While the H3K4me2 epigenome data is convincing, the interpretation and the potential mechanistic claims of the authors are incomplete in the current shape with the primary concerns regarding the contribution of Kdm1b or Kdm1a, as well as the specificity of the inhibitor and the antibody. The work will be of interest to researchers interested in epigenetic reprogramming.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. A multi-gene predictive model for the radiation sensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on machine learning

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Kailai Li
   2. Junyi Liang
   3. Nan Li
   4. Jianbo Fang
   5. Xinyi Zhou
   6. Jian Zhang
   7. Anqi Lin
   8. Peng Luo
   9. Hui Meng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors have developed a robust machine learning approach to predict radio sensitivity in patients with NPC based on a defined gene signature. Some key aspects of this signature have been validated in vitro using relevant cell lines which strengthens the conclusions of this important and convincing study. The publication will be of interest to clinicians working on this indication as well as a more broader readership made up of scientists working on radiation biology and those with a bioinformatics/machine learning background.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Single-cell dissection of prognostic architecture and immunotherap response in Helicobacter pylori infection-associated gastric cancer

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Xin Zhang
   2. Guangyu Zhang
   3. Shuli Sang
   4. Yang Fei
   5. Xiaopeng Cao
   6. Wenge Song
   7. Feide Liu
   8. Jinze Che
   9. Haoxia Tao
   10. Hongwei Wang
   11. Lihua Zhang
   12. Yiyan Guan
   13. Shipeng Rong
   14. Lijuan Pei
   15. Sheng Yao
   16. Yanchun Wang
   17. Min Zhang
   18. Chunjie Liu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable description of the cellular and transcriptional landscape of the tumor microenvironment in 27 gastric cancer (GC) patients based on their H. pylori status (HpGC, ex-HpGC, non-HpGC). The single-cell RNA sequencing dataset and computational analysis are convincing and provide a starting point that is of value for understanding H pylori-associated GC cell type composition, cell transitions, and mechanisms of response to therapy. The section correlating immunotherapy outcomes with GC cell type compositions from bulk RNAseq would have been strengthened by further comparing H. pylori GC versus non H. pylori GC.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. STAG3 promotes exit from pluripotency through post-transcriptional mRNA regulation in the cytoplasm

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Sam Weeks
   2. Dubravka Pezic
   3. Martin Dodel
   4. Kunal Shah
   5. Amandeep Bhamra
   6. Stephen Henderson
   7. Silvia Surinova
   8. Tyson Sharp
   9. Faraz Mardakheh
   10. Suzana Hadjur

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This potentially valuable study reports new and unexpected roles of STAG3 in regulating exit from pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). However, the evidence for the proposed role of STAG3 in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression is viewed as yet incomplete. The work will be of interest to colleagues studying stem cells, early steps in differentiation, and gene regulation.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Control of 3′ splice site selection by the yeast splicing factor Fyv6

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Katherine A Senn
   2. Karli A Lipinski
   3. Natalie J Zeps
   4. Amory F Griffin
   5. Max E Wilkinson
   6. Aaron A Hoskins

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study addresses how 3' splice site choice is modulated by the conserved spliceosome-associated protein Fyv6. The authors provide compelling evidence that Fyv6 functions to enable selection of 3' splice sites distal to a branch point and in doing so antagonizes more proximal, suboptimal 3' splice sites.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Sox9 marks limbal stem cells and is required for asymmetric cell fate switch in the corneal epithelium

    This article has 10 authors:

    1. Gabriella Rice
    2. Olivia Farrelly
    3. Sixia Huang
    4. Paola Kuri
    5. Ezra Curtis
    6. Lisa Ohman
    7. Ning Li
    8. Christopher Lengner
    9. Vivian Lee
    10. Panteleimon Rompolas

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This fundamental work advances our understanding of the regulation of corneal stem cell fate and differentiation, identifying Sox9 as a player in this process. The evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling, with rigorous genomic experiments and genetic mouse models that are state-of-the-art in the field. The work will be of broad interest to developmental, stem cell, and transcriptional biologists.

    Reviewed by eLife