eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. The evolution of cavefish odor perception shifts fish response from avoidance to approach when exposed to alarm and death odors

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Zachary Harkinish-Murray
   2. Tiffany Chan
   3. Jerry N Gbarlea
   4. Agniva Sinha
   5. Anthony Bedard
   6. Hala AlGarni
   7. Desiree T Sukhram
   8. Javier F Juarez
   9. Roberto Rodriquez-Morales
   10. Robert A Kozol

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study shows that cave-adapted Astyanax mexicanus have shifted from avoiding alarm and decay odors to being attracted by them, alongside sex-specific responses to social odors. The evidence for the behavioral and heritability claims is convincing, supported by analyses of different cave populations and F2 hybrids, as well as starvation-induced plasticity experiments. Whole-brain pERK mapping offers suggestive mechanistic insight, although uncertainties in anatomical assignments and aspects of statistical and ethogram reporting temper the strength of the neurobiological conclusions. The work will be of interest to anyone working on the evolution of behavior.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Molecular mechanisms underlying the prepupal-instar-forming metamorphosis in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens)

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Lingtao Zhang
   2. Masami Shimoda
   3. Chieka Minakuchi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides insights into the developmental regulation of the unusual form of holometabolous metamorphosis that occurs in the black soldier fly, in which a distinct prepupal stage is interposed between the final larval instar and pupation. This type of life history strategy is similar to what is seen in insects at the hemimetabolous-holometabolous boundary, but, given the phylogenetic position of dipterans, it is likely to be a derived trait. The combination of developmental characterization, gene expression profiling, and RNAi-mediated functional analyses provides solid evidence supporting the authors' conclusions and will be of interest to researchers studying insect development and the evolution of metamorphosis.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. EEG-Neurofeedback Targeting Gamma Oscillations at the Parieto-Occipital Region Reduces Pain Perception

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Xiangyue Zhao
   2. Hao Sun
   3. Shiyu Wei
   4. Haoqing Duan
   5. Gan Huang
   6. Jingwei Li
   7. Hailu Wang
   8. Xuejing Lu
   9. Yanzhi Bi
   10. Li Hu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study addresses a valuable question with implications for the development of EEG-based neurofeedback interventions for pain. However, the strength of evidence is incomplete because the principal conclusions rely on post hoc responder analyses and methodological ambiguities that weaken the support for the claimed causal relationship between gamma modulation and pain reduction.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. mTOR regulates longevity through a bile-acid like hormonal mechanism and DHS-26/DHRS1

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Klara Schilling
   2. Alex Zaufel
   3. Kaylee M Morris
   4. Anna Löhrke
   5. Ratni Saini
   6. Hans-Joachim Knölker
   7. Tarek Moustafa
   8. Adam Antebi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental study reveals a new downstream mechanism that mediates mTOR's effect on lifespan in C. elegans. Using a combination of genetic, genomic, and functional analyses, the authors uncovered that a bile acid-like hormone, dafachronic acid (DA), acts downstream of mTOR to modulate lifespan. The reviewers found the evidence provided to be compelling.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Reduced dorsal CA1 activity limits retention of the temporal component of declarative memory in the Cntnap2 knockout mouse model of autism

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Elise Caitlin Rawlinson
   2. Michael Hugh McCullough
   3. Azza Sellami
   4. Aline Marighetto
   5. Alice Shaam Al-Abed
   6. Nathalie Dehorter

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study uses the Cntnap2 mouse model of autism to investigate how reduced activity in the dorsal CA1 region of the hippocampus contributes to impaired temporal binding and memory flexibility. The authors combined trace conditioning and radial maze assays with fibre photometry, optogenetic rescue, and brain-wide c-Fos mapping to provide convincing evidence that dorsal CA1 hypoactivity limits the retention of temporally separated associations and biases learning towards less flexible strategies. The work advances understanding of hippocampal contributions to cognitive alterations associated with autism and will be of broad interest to researchers studying memory, hippocampal function, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Inhibiting the interaction between the mitochondrial receptor Tom70 and SARS CoV 2 Orf9b with small molecules

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. CJ San Felipe
   2. Kliment A Verba
   3. Nevan J Krogan
   4. Michael Grabe
   5. James S Fraser

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study combines crystallographic fragment-based screening with fluorescence-polarization competition assays to demonstrate that the SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF9b, and its interface with the mitochondrial import receptor TOM70, is accessible to small-molecule binding. This is a result with practical implications beyond coronavirus biology for efforts to restore interferon signalling and the antiviral response. The structural evidence is convincing, resting on an unusually large body of ligand-bound crystal structures whose fragment hotspots are independently corroborated by orthogonal biophysical approaches including fluorescence polarization and SPR. This study will be of interest to the broad readership of eLife, spanning structural biology, drug discovery, and coronavirus communities.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. The G-protein coupled receptor GPR34 maintains the homeostatic state of microglia and restrains the disease-associated microglial response in an Alzheimer’s disease model

   This article has 35 authors:

   1. Ana Geller
   2. Min Jee Kwon
   3. Sean K. Simmons
   4. Qihong Xu
   5. William E. Martenis
   6. Jordan Doman
   7. Sahana Natarajan
   8. Katherine J. Stalnaker
   9. Jixiang Zhang
   10. Xian Adiconis
   11. Kwanho Kim
   12. Trang Nguyen
   13. Matthew Demers
   14. Donovan Batzli
   15. Antia Valle-Tojeiro
   16. Christy Biji
   17. Sameer Aryal
   18. Horia Pribiag
   19. Constanze Depp
   20. Nader Morshed
   21. Deeksha Misri
   22. Diana Bohannon
   23. Elena Longhi
   24. Hasmik Keshishian
   25. Steven A. Carr
   26. David McKinney
   27. Alexandra E. Gould
   28. Evan Lebois
   29. Michel Weïwer
   30. Beth Stevens
   31. Matthew Johnson
   32. Joshua Z. Levin
   33. Yan-Ling Zhang
   34. Morgan Sheng
   35. Prabhat S. Kunwar

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides key insights into the role of the G protein-coupled receptor GPR34 in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) model. Notably, its findings differ, at least in part, from those of previous studies, although the underlying reasons for these discrepancies are not investigated or discussed. The data show that GPR34 deficiency enhances the transcriptional disease-associated microglia signature in microglia and provide solid evidence that myelin is a GPR34 ligand, although the relevance of myelin engulfment in AD is unclear. This study would be of interest for neuro-immunologists and AD clinicians.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A single evidence accumulation process informs perceptual choices and subsequent confidence reports

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. John P Grogan
   2. Luc Vermeylen
   3. Sarah-Louise Mannion
   4. Cameron McCabe
   5. Daria Monakhovych
   6. Kobe Desender
   7. Redmond G O’Connell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study addresses two debates about how confidence is computed: whether it continues the accumulation process that produced the initial choice or reflects a separate one, and whether that accumulation stops at a time limit or an evidence boundary. The evidence is solid, combining systematic model comparison with an independent neural marker of evidence accumulation to adjudicate between models that behaviour alone cannot separate. Support for the boundary-based stopping rule is stronger than for the single-process account, as the neural comparison is qualitative rather than quantified and the alternatives tested cover only a narrow range of plausible two-stage architectures. The work will be of interest to researchers studying decision-making and metacognition.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Genetic canalization of nutrient resorption in the widespread grass Phragmites australis under salt stress

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Lele Liu
   2. Wenyi Sheng
   3. Huijia Song
   4. Cui Wang
   5. Na Li
   6. Lele Lin
   7. Yaolin Guo
   8. Ning Du
   9. Weihua Guo

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study shows that nutrient resorption efficiency in the widespread wetland grass Phragmites australis varies with population origin and remains largely stable under experimentally imposed salt stress, supporting limited short-term plasticity and a role for genetic differentiation. The findings suggest that predictions of wetland nutrient cycling under increasing salinization should account for intraspecific variation and phylogeographic composition, the evidence is compelling, based on a common-garden experiment involving 110 genotypes, paired control and salinity treatments, and convergent metabolomic, ionomic, and whole-plant evidence confirming substantial physiological stress. The revised manuscript clarifies the partial overlap between ecotype and phylogeographic lineage and appropriately qualifies the modest explanatory contribution of latitude, conclusions remain restricted to one species, one growing season, and a single moderate salinity treatment; an ecotype-specific nitrogen resorption response also indicates that plasticity is not entirely absent and the physiological mechanisms and responses to chronic, stronger, or multigenerational salinity exposure remain unresolved. The study will interest researchers working on plant functional ecology, nutrient cycling, and wetland responses to global change.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. In vivo virus-free lineage tracing and live imaging reveal that NeuroD1 does not reprogram microglia into neurons

    This article has 11 authors:

    1. Xiaoyu Li
    2. Yuxin Li
    3. Yue Cao
    4. Niewen Hu
    5. Baozhi Yang
    6. Pei Ouyang
    7. Yuxiao Jin
    8. Shuai Gao
    9. Li Cao
    10. Bo Peng
    11. Yanxia Rao

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This is an important study addressing a debated question in brain repair research by testing whether NeuroD1 can convert brain immune cells into nerve cells using a virus-free genetic approach and live imaging. The compelling evidence presented here supports that, under the conditions tested, NeuroD1-expressing cells do not become nerve cells and instead retain their original identity. This work will be of interest to neuro-immunologists.

    Reviewed by eLife