eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. PVN-mPFC OT projections modulate pup-directed pup care or attacking in virgin mandarin voles

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Lu Li
   2. Yin Li
   3. Caihong Huang
   4. Wenjuan Hou
   5. Zijian Lv
   6. Lizi Zhang
   7. Yishan Qu
   8. Yahan Sun
   9. Kaizhe Huang
   10. Xiao Han
   11. Zhixiong He
   12. Fadao Tai

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work provides insights into the neural mechanisms regulating specific parental behaviors. By identifying a key role for oxytocin synthesizing cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and their projections to the medial prefrontal cortex in promoting pup care and inhibiting infanticide, this study advances our understanding of the neurobiological basis of these contrasting behaviors in male and female mandarin voles. The evidence supporting the authors' conclusions is solid, and this work should be of interest to researchers studying neuropeptide control of social behaviors in the brain.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Chronic activation of a negative engram induces behavioral and cellular abnormalities

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Alexandra L Jellinger
   2. Rebecca L Suthard
   3. Bingbing Yuan
   4. Michelle Surets
   5. Evan A Ruesch
   6. Albit J Caban
   7. Shawn Liu
   8. Monika Shpokayte
   9. Steve Ramirez

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This useful study reports the behavioural and physiological effects of the longitudinal activation of neurons associated with negative experiences. The main claims of the paper are supported by solid experimental evidence, although the specificity of the long-term manipulation could have benefitted from additional validation. This study will be of interest to neuroscientists working on memory.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. A dynamic generative model can extract interpretable oscillatory components from multichannel neurophysiological recordings

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Proloy Das
   2. Mingjian He
   3. Patrick L Purdon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This method paper proposes a valuable Oscillation Component Analysis (OCA) approach, in analogy to Independent Component Analysis (ICA), in which source separation is achieved through biophysically inspired generative modeling of neural oscillations. The empirical evidence justifying the approach's advantage is solid. This work will be of interest to researchers in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, neural oscillation, and MEG/EEG.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Regulated mRNA recruitment in dinoflagellates is reflected in hyper-variable mRNA spliced leaders and novel eIF4Es

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Grant D. Jones
   2. Ernest P. Williams
   3. Saddef Haq
   4. Tsvetan R. Bachvaroff
   5. M. Basanta Sanchez
   6. Allen R. Place
   7. Rosemary Jagus

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study provides previously unappreciated insights into the functions of protist eIF4E 5'mRNA cap-binding protein family members, thereby contributing to a better understanding of translation regulation in these organisms. The authors provide solid evidence to support the major conclusions of the article. However, the study may further benefit from establishing whether all of the eIF4E family members are indeed involved in translation and more direct evidence for the selectivity of their binding.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. The sperm hook as a functional adaptation for migration and self-organized behavior

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Heungjin Ryu
   2. Kibum Nam
   3. Byeong Eun Lee
   4. Yundon Jeong
   5. Seunghun Lee
   6. Jeongmo Kim
   7. Young-Min Hyun
   8. Jae-Ick Kim
   9. Jung-Hoon Park

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study uses ex vivo live imaging of uteri post-mating to test the role of the sperm hook in the house mouse sperm in sperm movement that would be interesting to evolutionary biologists. The significance of the work is useful as live imaging can reveal information not seen in fixed images. The strength of evidence is incomplete as they cannot directly test the role of the sperm hook in facilitating movement along the uterine wall.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. The mechanism of mammalian proton-coupled peptide transporters

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Simon M Lichtinger
   2. Joanne L Parker
   3. Simon Newstead
   4. Philip C Biggin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides important insight into the mechanisms of proton-coupled oligopeptide transporters. It uses enhanced-sampling molecular dynamics (MD), backed by cell-based assays, revealing the importance of protonation of selected residues for PepT2 function. The simulation approaches are convincing, using long MD simulations, constant-pH MD and free energy calculations. Overall, the work has led to findings that will appeal to structural biologists, biochemists, and biophysicists studying membrane transporters.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Formation of a giant unilocular vacuole via macropinocytosis-like process confers anoikis resistance

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Jeongsik Kim
   2. Dahyun Kim
   3. Dong-Kyun Kim
   4. Sang-Hee Lee
   5. Wonyul Jang
   6. Dae-Sik Lim

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reports the formation of a new organelle, called giant unilocular vacuole (GUVac), in mammary epithelial cells through a macropinocytosis-like process. The evidence supporting conclusions is convincing, using state-of-the-art cell biology techniques. This work will be of interest to cell biologists and contribute to the understanding of cell survival mechanisms against anoikis.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Spatiotemporal recruitment of the ubiquitin-specific protease USP8 directs endosome maturation

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Yue Miao
   2. Yongtao Du
   3. Baolei Wang
   4. Jingjing Liang
   5. Yu Liang
   6. Song Dang
   7. Jiahao Liu
   8. Dong Li
   9. Kangmin He
   10. Mei Ding

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The manuscript presents an important model for the field of endosome maturation, providing perspective on the role of the deubiquitinating enzyme UPS-50/USP8 in the process. The evidence presented in the paper is clear, incorporating well-designed experiments that suggest the dual actions of UPS-50 and USP8 in the conversion of early endosomes into late endosomes. Overall, the work is convincing and centers on an intriguing subject.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Structural analysis of the dynamic ribosome-translocon complex

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Aaron JO Lewis
   2. Frank Zhong
   3. Robert J Keenan
   4. Ramanujan S Hegde

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This landmark work by Lewis and Hegde represents the most significant breakthrough in membrane and secretory biogenesis in recent years. Their work reveals with outstanding clarity how nascent transmembrane segments can pass through the gate of Sec61 into the ER membrane through the coordinated motions of a conformationally and compositionally dynamic machine. Among many other insights, the authors discovered how a new factor, RAMP4, contributes to the formation and function of the lateral gate for certain substrates. The technical quality of the work is exceptional, setting the bar appropriately high.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Focal adhesion-derived liquid-liquid phase separations regulate mRNA translation

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Abhishek Kumar
    2. Keiichiro Tanaka
    3. Martin A Schwartz

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      In this valuable study, Kumar et al., provide evidence suggesting that the p130Cas drives the formation of condensates that sprout from focal adhesions to cytoplasm and suppress translation. Pending further substantiation, this study was found to be likely to provide previously unappreciated insights into the mechanisms linking focal adhesions to the regulation of protein synthesis and was thus considered to be of broad general interest. However, the evidence supporting the proposed model was incomplete; additional evidence is warranted to substantiate the relationship between p130Cas condensates and mRNA translation and establish corresponding functional consequences.

    Reviewed by eLife