eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Tumor-infiltrating nerves functionally alter brain circuits and modulate behavior in a mouse model of head-and-neck cancer

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Jeffrey Barr
   2. Austin Walz
   3. Anthony C Restaino
   4. Moran Amit
   5. Sarah M Barclay
   6. Elisabeth G Vichaya
   7. William C Spanos
   8. Robert Dantzer
   9. Sebastien Talbot
   10. Paola D Vermeer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important research describes the sensory innervation of oral tumors, with potential implications for understanding cancer-induced alterations in motivation and anhedonia in a mouse model. These findings are solid and are supported by anatomical and transcriptional changes in the tumor that suggest sensory innervation, neural tracing, and neural activity measurements. While nerve innervation of the tumor and associated increase in brain activity is well-supported, future studies could enhance specificity by employing more targeted genetic and pharmacological tools to manipulate these circuits selectively.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. SRSF2 is a key player in orchestrating the directional migration and differentiation of MyoD progenitors during skeletal muscle development

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Rula Sha
   2. Ruochen Guo
   3. Huimin Duan
   4. Qian Peng
   5. Ningyang Yuan
   6. Zhenzhen Wang
   7. Zhigang Li
   8. Zhiqin Xie
   9. Xue You
   10. Ying Feng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work provides interesting datasets of myofiber differentiation. The evidence supporting the involvement of SRF2 in selected biological processes is convincing, however, additional evidence to pin-point the major action of SRF2 during muscle differentiation is appreciated. The work will be of broad interest to developmental biologists in general and molecular biologists in the field of gene regulation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. TAK1-mediated phosphorylation of PLCE1 represses PIP2 hydrolysis to impede esophageal squamous cancer metastasis

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Qianqian Ju
   2. Wenjing Sheng
   3. Meichen Zhang
   4. Jing Chen
   5. Liucheng Wu
   6. Xiaoyu Liu
   7. Wentao Fang
   8. Hui Shi
   9. Cheng Sun

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work provides solid evidence that Transforming Growth Factor β Activated Kinase 1 (TAK1) regulates esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumor proliferation and metastasis. The findings are valuable to the field of molecular tumor biology in general and to the understanding of ESCC tumor invasiveness and metastatic potential.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Single-cell profiling reveals the intratumor heterogeneity and immunosuppressive microenvironment in cervical adenocarcinoma

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Yang Peng
   2. Jing Yang
   3. Jixing Ao
   4. Yilin Li
   5. Jia Shen
   6. Xiang He
   7. Dihong Tang
   8. Chaonan Chu
   9. Congrong Liu
   10. Liang Weng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this useful manuscript, the authors performed scRNA-seq on a diverse cohort of 15 early-stage cervical cancer patients. Correlative data is provided to support the possible establishment of an immunosuppressive microenvironment near SCL26A3+ cells, and an association of these cells with upstaging at time of surgery. However without more extensive validation, the evidence supporting the conclusions remains incomplete. Overall, this paper will provide a potentially helpful dataset for researchers studying cervical cancer.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Synthesis and biological assessment of chalcone and pyrazoline derivatives as novel inhibitor for ELF3-MED23 interaction

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Soo-Yeon Hwang
   2. Kyung-Hwa Jeon
   3. Hwa-Jong Lee
   4. Inhye Moon
   5. Sehyun Jung
   6. Seul-Ah Kim
   7. Hyunji Jo
   8. Seojeong Park
   9. Misun Ahn
   10. Soo-Yeon Kwak
   11. Younghwa Na
   12. Youngjoo Kwon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study characterized a new set of small molecules targeting the interaction between ELF3-MED23, with one of the reported compounds representing a promising novel therapeutic strategy, The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing. This article will be of interest to medical and cell biologists working on cancer and, particularly, on HER2-overexpression cancers.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. In vivo targeted and deterministic single-cell malignant transformation

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Pierluigi Scerbo
   2. Benjamin Tisserand
   3. Marine Delagrange
   4. Héloise Debare
   5. David Bensimon
   6. Bertrand Ducos

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study employs an optogenetics approach aimed at activating oncogene (KRASG12V) expression in a single somatic cell, with a focus on following the progression of activated cell to examine tumourigenesis probabilities under altered tissue environments. Although the description of the methodologies applied is incomplete, the authors propose a mechanism whereby reactivation of re-programming factors correlates with the increased likelihood of a mutant cell undergoing malignant transformation. This work will be of interest to developmental and cancer biologists, especially in relation to the genetic tools described.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. An integrated machine learning approach delineates an entropic expansion mechanism for the binding of a small molecule to α-synuclein

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Sneha Menon
   2. Subinoy Adhikari
   3. Jagannath Mondal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study describes the application of machine learning and Markov state models to characterize the binding mechanism of alpha-Synuclein to the small molecule Fasudil. The results suggest that entropic expansion can explain such binding. However, the simulations and analyses in their present form are inadequate.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Live imaging of Alu elements reveals non-uniform euchromatin dynamics coupled to transcription

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Yi-Che Chang
   2. Sofia A. Quinodoz
   3. Clifford P. Brangwynne

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study establishes a method for live-cell imaging, tracking, and quantification of Alu elements marking euchromatic regions of the nucleus. The method will help characterize the relationship between chromatin dynamics and transcriptional activity. While the findings are largely consistent with previous reports, characterization of the technique is incomplete and could benefit from additional controls.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) activity is modulated by light and gates rapid phase shifts of the circadian clock

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Andrea Brenna
   2. Micaela Borsa
   3. Gabriella Saro
   4. Jürgen A Ripperger
   5. Dominique A Glauser
   6. Zhihong Yang
   7. Antoine Adamantidis
   8. Urs Albrecht

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important chronobiological study in mice suggests that light modulated activity of Cdk5 activity on the PKA-CaMK-CREB signaling pathway provides missing molecular mechanistic details to understand light-induced circadian clock phase delays during the early night, but not for phase advances in the morning. The authors provide convincing evidence bridging from behavioral to molecular/cellular experiments to neural activity imaging.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Molecular basis of neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Polr3-related disease

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Robyn D Moir
    2. Emilio Merheb
    3. Violeta Chitu
    4. E Richard Stanley
    5. Ian M Willis

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study provides important insights into the mechanistic basis of neurological manifestations of RNA polymerase III-related disease by creating a mutant mouse to dissect transcriptional changes. The data provide compelling evidence for disease progression initiated by a global reduction in tRNA levels leading to integrated stress and innate immune responses and neuronal loss. The work will be of interest to those engaged in the study of chromosome biology, developmental biology and neurodegeneration.

    Reviewed by eLife