Latest preprint reviews

1. Non-feature-specific elevated responses and feature-specific backward replay in human brain induced by visual sequence exposure

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Tao He
   2. Xizi Gong
   3. Qian Wang
   4. Xinyi Zhu
   5. Yunzhe Liu
   6. Fang Fang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study investigates both online responses to, and offline replay of, visual motion sequences. Sophisticated EEG analyses provide solid evidence for both feature-specific and non-specific sequence representations, though the explanation of the statistical methods used is currently incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Ribosome demand links transcriptional bursts to protein expression noise

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Sampriti Pal
   2. Upasana Ray
   3. Riddhiman Dhar

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This interesting study focuses on a previously reported positive correlation between translational efficiency and protein noise. This is unexpected as typically noise is inversely related to expression and increasing translation efficiency would increase the protein expression and thus be expected to reduce noise in gene expression. Using mathematical modeling and analysis of experimental data the authors argue that this phenomenon arises due to ribosomal demand. However, the work appears incomplete, with the reviewers having raised questions regarding the validity of the assumptions used in the mathematical model as well as the clarity of the presentation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Emerging cooperativity between Oct4 and Sox2 governs the pluripotency network in early mouse embryos

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Yanlin Hou
   2. Zhengwen Nie
   3. Qi Jiang
   4. Sergiy Velychko
   5. Sandra Heising
   6. Ivan Bedzhov
   7. Guangming Wu
   8. Kenjiro Adachi
   9. Hans R. Schöler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work presents a valuable finding on how the interplay between transcription factors SOX2 and OCT4 establishes the pluripotency network in early mouse embryos. Despite the high quality of the data, the evidence supporting the claims of the authors is currently incomplete and would benefit from more omics analysis such as H3K4me1 and H3K27ac CUT&Tag. The work will be of interest to biologists working on embryonic development.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Morphology and synapse topography optimize linear encoding of synapse numbers in Drosophila looming responsive descending neurons

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Anthony Moreno-Sanchez
   2. Alexander N Vasserman
   3. HyoJong Jang
   4. Bryce W Hina
   5. Catherine R von Reyn
   6. Jessica Ausborn

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides a detailed picture of the synapse distributions for a set of visual projection neurons and their downstream partners, in combination with multi-compartmental modelling fitted to electrophysiological data. The model reveals interesting consequences of synapse topography for neuronal computation. The analysis, however, seems incomplete as the authors only analyze passive models of these spiking neurons, and do not attempt to connect their analysis to the bigger picture at the behavioral level.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Paracrine rescue of MYR1-deficient Toxoplasma gondii mutants reveals limitations of pooled in vivo CRISPR screens

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Francesca Torelli
   2. Diogo M da Fonseca
   3. Simon Butterworth
   4. Joanna C Young
   5. Moritz Treeck

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study shows that Toxoplasma gondii uses paracrine mechanisms, in addition to cell-intrinsic methods, to evade the host immune system, with MYR1 playing a key role in transporting effector molecules into host cells. The authors present convincing evidence that in vivo, MYR1-deficient parasites can be rescued by wild-type parasites, revealing a limitation in pooled CRISPR screens, where such paracrine effects may obscure the identification of key parasite pathways involved in immune evasion

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Heat Shock Factor Regulation of Antimicrobial Peptides Expression Suggests a Conserved Defense Mechanism Induced by Febrile Temperature in Arthropods

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Bang Xiao
   2. Shihan Chen
   3. Yue Wang
   4. Xuzheng Liao
   5. Jianguo He
   6. Chaozheng Li

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study reports an important finding on the mechanism underlying the enhancement of anti-viral immune responses by febrile temperatures, especially the role of the conserved heat-shock factor, HSF-1. The data provide compelling support for the authors' model wherein increased temperature in the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei activates HSF1, which in turn enhances anti-viral response via up-regulation of the nSWD protein and antibacterial peptides. The work, which will be of interest to virologists, immunologists, and cell biologists, would benefit from more discussion of the function and roles of HSF-1 at 25°C vs. 32°C.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Avian-specific Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum transition to endemicity is accompanied by localized resistome and mobilome interaction

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Chenghao Jia
   2. Chenghu Huang
   3. Haiyang Zhou
   4. Xiao Zhou
   5. Zining Wang
   6. Abubakar Siddique
   7. Xiamei Kang
   8. Qianzhe Cao
   9. Yingying Huang
   10. Fang He
   11. Yan Li
   12. Min Yue

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study uses a large dataset from both recent isolates and genomes in databases to provide an analysis of the population structure of the pathogen Salmonella gallinarum. The results regarding regional adaptation and the evolutionary trajectory of the resistome and mobilome remain incomplete, requiring additional details to fully support their claims and assess the value of these insights for future policy interventions regarding this and other pathogens. This work will interest microbiologists and researchers working on genomics, evolution, and antimicrobial resistance.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A VgrG2b fragment cleaved by caspase-11/4 promotes Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection through suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Yan Qian
   2. Qiannv Liu
   3. Xiangyun Cheng
   4. Chunlei Wang
   5. Chun Kong
   6. Mengqian Li
   7. Chao Ren
   8. Dong Jiang
   9. Shuo Wang
   10. Pengyan Xia

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study on strategies used by Pseudomonas to subvert hots immunity identifies a new immune evasion strategy. The study presents solid evidence on the cleavage of VgrG2B by Caspase 11 and the generation of fragments that inhibit activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome. This work should be of interest to immunologists and microbiologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Quantification of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium Population Dynamics in Murine Infection Using a Highly Diverse Barcoded Library

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Julia A Hotinger
   2. Ian W Campbell
   3. Karthik Hullahalli
   4. Akina Osaki
   5. Matthew K Waldor

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study reports a detailed quantification of the population dynamics of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in mice. Bacterial burden and founding population sizes across various organs were quantified, revealing pathways of dissemination and reseeding of the gastrointestinal tract from systemic organs. Using various techniques, including genetic distance measurements, the authors present compelling evidence to support their conclusions, thus presenting new knowledge that will be of broad interest to scientists focusing on infectious diseases.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Centrosome Migration and Apical Membrane Formation in Polarized Epithelial Cells: Insights from the MDCK Cyst Model

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Po-Kai Wang
    2. Keng-Hui Lin
    3. Tang K Tang

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      Wang et al's study addresses an important critical gap in our understanding of de novo epithelial polarization using MDCK cell doublets surrounded by ECM, providing convincing evidence through imaging and depletion studies on the role of conserved polarity proteins and the centrosome during this process. While the authors propose a clear hierarchical model, there is a need for further exploration of how microtubule organization contributes to this process. Specifically, live cell imaging of microtubules under mutants and their included ECM conditions, along with a more precise temporal mapping of microtubule dynamics in relation to proteins like Gp135, would strengthen the study's conclusions.

    Reviewed by eLife