eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. From multiplicity of infection to force of infection in sparsely sampled high-transmission Plasmodium falciparum populations

   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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. BCAS2 promotes primitive hematopoiesis by sequestering β-catenin within the nucleus

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Guozhu Ning
   2. Yu Lin
   3. Haixia Ma
   4. Jiaqi Zhang
   5. Liping Yang
   6. Zhengyu Liu
   7. Lei Li
   8. Xinyu He
   9. Qiang Wang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work supports the role of breast carcinoma amplified sequence 2 (Bcas2) in positively regulating primitive wave hematopoiesis through amplification of beta-catenin-dependent (canonical) Wnt signaling. The study is convincing: it uses appropriate and validated methodology in line with the current state-of-the-art, and there is a first-rate analysis of a strong phenotype with highly supportive mechanistic data. The findings shed light on the controversial question of whether, when, and how canonical Wnt signaling may be involved in hematopoietic development. The work will be of interest to hematologists and developmental biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Integration of ATAC and RNA-sequencing identifies chromatin and transcriptomic signatures in classical and non-classical zebrafish osteoblasts and indicates mechanisms of entpd5a regulation

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Kleio Petratou
   2. Martin Stehling
   3. Ferenc Müller
   4. Stefan Schulte-Merker

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental work describes for the first time the combined gene expression and chromatin structure at the genome level in isolated chondrocytes and classical (cranial) and non-classical (notochordal) osteoblasts. In a compelling analysis of RNA-Seq and ATAC data, the authors characterize the two osteoblast populations relative to their associated chondrocyte cells and further proceed with a convincing analysis of the crucial entpd5a gene regulatory elements by investigating their respective transcriptional activity and specificity in developing zebrafish.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. WNKs regulate mouse behavior and alter central nervous system glucose uptake and insulin signaling

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Ankita B Jaykumar
   2. Derk Binns
   3. Clinton A Taylor
   4. Anthony Anselmo
   5. Sachith Gallolu Kankanamalage
   6. Shari G Birnbaum
   7. Kimberly M Huber
   8. Melanie H Cobb

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study seeks to expand the understanding of insulin and glucose responses in the brain, specifically by implicating a family of protein kinases responsive to insulin. The significance of the study to the field is valuable, given this study is very emblematic of the new field of interoception (Brain-Body physiology). The evidence supporting the conclusions about brain glucose utilization is convincing and is relevant to many age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disorder.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. APP β-CTF triggers cell-autonomous synaptic toxicity independent of Aβ

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Mengxun Luo
   2. Jia Zhou
   3. Cailu Sun
   4. Wanjia Chen
   5. Chaoying Fu
   6. Chenfang Si
   7. Yaoyang Zhang
   8. Yang Geng
   9. Yelin Chen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a useful demonstration that a specific protein fragment may induce the loss of synapses in Alzheimer's disease. The evidence supporting the data is solid but only partially supports the conclusion and would benefit from additional discussion indicated by the literature from reviewer #1. The application of the findings is limited because blocking the formation of the protein fragment has not benefited patients in several clinical trials.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Translatome analysis reveals cellular network in DLK-dependent hippocampal glutamatergic neuron degeneration

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Erin M Ritchie
   2. Dilan Acar
   3. Siming Zhong
   4. Qianyi Pu
   5. Yunbo Li
   6. Binhai Zheng
   7. Yishi Jin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript describes the impact of modulating signaling by a key regulatory enzyme, Dual Leucine Zipper Kinase (DLK), on hippocampal neurons. The results are interesting and will be important for scientists interested in synapse formation, axon specification, and cell death. The authors have carefully addressed the comments made by the reviewers and the findings are convincing in large part due to the use of extensive mouse genetics, detailed gene expression of enriched genes, and recognition of neuron vulnerability.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. α/β-Hydrolase domain-containing 6 (ABHD6) accelerates the desensitization and deactivation of TARP γ-2-containing AMPA receptors

    This article has 15 authors:

    1. Rixu Cong
    2. Huiran Li
    3. Hong Yang
    4. Jing Gu
    5. Shanshan Wang
    6. Qi Liu
    7. Xiangyu Guan
    8. Tangyunfei Su
    9. Yulin Zheng
    10. Dianchun Wang
    11. Xinran Chen
    12. Lei Yang
    13. Yun Stone Shi
    14. Mengping Wei
    15. Chen Zhang

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This fundamental work demonstrates that ABHD6 regulates AMPAR gating kinetics in a TARP γ-2-dependent manner. The evidence in this study is compelling. This study will be of interest to readers in the field of synaptic transmission.

    Reviewed by eLife