eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Additional feedforward mechanism of Parkin activation via binding of phospho-UBL and RING0 in trans

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Dipti Ranjan Lenka
   2. Shakti Virendra Dahe
   3. Odetta Antico
   4. Pritiranjan Sahoo
   5. Alan R Prescott
   6. Miratul MK Muqit
   7. Atul Kumar

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is a useful manuscript describing the competitive binding between Parkin domains to define the importance of dimerization in the mechanism of Parkin regulation and catalytic activity. The evidence supporting the importance of Parkin dimerization for an 'in trans' model of Parkin activity described in this manuscript is solid, but lacks more stringent and biochemical characterization of competitive binding that could provide more direct evidence to support the author's conclusions. This work will be of interest to those focused on defining the molecular mechanisms involved in ubiquitin ligase interactions, PINK-Parkin-mediated mitophagy, and mitochondrial organellar quality control.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. A comparative study of the cryo-EM structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ester Vazquez-Fernandez
   2. Jing Yang
   3. Ziguo Zhang
   4. Antonina E Andreeva
   5. Paul Emsley
   6. David Barford

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides compelling data that defines the structure of the S. cerevisiae APC/C. The structure reveals overall conservation of its mechanism of action compared to the human APC/C but some important differences that indicate that activation by co-activator binding and phosphorylation are not identical to the human APC/C. Thus this study will be of considerable value to the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. AARS2 ameliorates myocardial ischemia via fine-tuning PKM2-mediated metabolism

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Zongwang Zhang
   2. Lixia Zheng
   3. Yang Chen
   4. Yuanyuan Chen
   5. Junjie Hou
   6. Chenglu Xiao
   7. Xiaojun Zhu
   8. Shi-Min Zhao
   9. Jing-Wei Xiong

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study highlights the essential role of AARS2 in safeguarding cardiomyocytes against ischemic stress by modulating energy metabolism towards glycolysis via PKM2. This mechanism unveils a promising new therapeutic target for treating myocardial infarction. Convincing findings are underpinned by a comprehensive dataset, including cardiomyocyte-specific genetic modifications, functional assays, and ribosome profiling, all collectively providing strong evidence for the critical involvement of the AARS2-PKM2 signalling pathway in cardiac protection.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Semantic plasticity across timescales in the human brain

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Sarah H Solomon
   2. Kendrick Kay
   3. Anna C Schapiro

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study investigates how the human brain flexibly adjusts its representations of the world as the environment continually changes. It utilizes a unique dataset in which participants view thousands of natural scenes across many fMRI sessions over multiple months. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is incomplete, with statistical inference not always warranted. The study would interest a broad readership in cognitive neuroscience.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Specific presynaptic functions require distinct Drosophila Cav2 splice isoforms

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Christopher Bell
   2. Lukas Kilo
   3. Daniel Gottschalk
   4. Jashar Arian
   5. Lea Deneke
   6. Hanna Kern
   7. Christof Rickert
   8. Oliver Kobler
   9. Julia Strauß
   10. Martin Heine
   11. Carsten Duch
   12. Stefanie Ryglewski

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Cav2 voltage-gated calcium channels play key roles in regulating synaptic strength and plasticity. In contrast to mammals, invertebrates like Drosophila encode a single Cav2 channel, raising questions on how diversity in Cav2 is achieved from a single gene. Here, the authors present solid evidence that two alternatively spliced Cac isoforms enable important changes in Cav2 expression, localization, and function in synaptic transmission and plasticity at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. How the isoforms affect synaptic calcium channel levels remains less clear. This study provides insights into the roles of voltage-gated calcium channel splice isoforms in synaptic transmission.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. The title and authors for this article are not available from our external data provider yet:
   10.48550/arxiv.2211.16879v3

7. Soluble immune mediators orchestrate protective in vitro granulomatous responses across Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex lineages

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ainhoa Arbués
   2. Sarah Schmidiger
   3. Miriam Reinhard
   4. Sonia Borrell
   5. Sebastien Gagneux
   6. Damien Portevin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study describes the impact of mycobacterial genetic diversity on host-infection phenotypes by assessing the effect of different M. tuberculosis lineages on granulomatous inflammation using a 3D in vitro granuloma model. Despite being descriptive and showing mostly correlative relationships, the findings are useful and provide some solid support regarding the functional impact of M. tuberculosis's natural diversity on host-pathogen interactions. The study will interest researchers working on mycobacteria and motivate future studies to understand how genetic diversity influences virulence and immunity outcomes.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Differences in size and number of embryonic type II neuroblast lineages correlate with divergent timing of central complex development between beetle and fly

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Simon Rethemeier
   2. Sonja Fritzsche
   3. Dominik Mühlen
   4. Gregor Bucher
   5. Vera S Hunnekuhl

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The study is a valuable contribution to the question of evolutionary shifts in neuronal proliferation patterns and the timing of developmental progressions. The authors present convincing data which confirm the presence of type-II NB lineages in beetle with the same molecular characteristics as the Drosophila counterparts but differing in lineage size and number. The data lay the foundation for future analysis of the role and molecular characteristics of individual lineages and of whether differences in the identity, proliferation pattern and timing of developmental progression can be linked to differences in the development of functionality of the central complex.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. A molecular proximity sensor based on an engineered, dual-component guide RNA

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Junhong Choi
   2. Wei Chen
   3. Hanna Liao
   4. Xiaoyi Li
   5. Jay Shendure

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important manuscript describes a creative approach using dual-component gRNAs to create a new class of molecular proximity sensors for genome editing. The authors demonstrate that this tool can be coupled with several different gene editing effectors, showing convincingly that the tool functions as intended. This study not only introduces a first-of-its kind approach, but through careful measurements also enables future further development of the technology.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Mediator kinase inhibition suppresses hyperactive interferon signaling in Down syndrome

    This article has 14 authors:

    1. Kira A Cozzolino
    2. Lynn Sanford
    3. Samuel Hunter
    4. Kayla Molison
    5. Benjamin Erickson
    6. Meaghan CS Courvan
    7. Taylor Jones
    8. Deepa Ajit
    9. Matthew D Galbraith
    10. Joaquín M Espinosa
    11. David Bentley
    12. Mary Ann Allen
    13. Robin D Dowell
    14. Dylan J Taatjes

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This is an important study providing compelling evidence that the Mediator kinase module mediates an elevated inflammatory response, manifested by heightened cytokine levels, associated with Downs syndrome (DS) via transcriptional changes impacting cell signaling and metabolism that involve mobilization of nuclear receptors by altered lipid metabolites, which has significance for the treatment of DS and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Particular strengths of the study include the combined experimental approaches of transcriptomics, untargeted metabolomics and cytokine screens and the use of sibling matched cell lines (trisomy 21 vs disomy 21) from various donors. Evidence is also provided implicating the Mediator kinase module in controlling mRNA splicing and mitochondrial function that should stimulate new research to elucidate the mechanistic bases for these novel functions.

    Reviewed by eLife