eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. PSTPIP2 ameliorates aristolochic acid nephropathy by suppressing interleukin-19-mediated neutrophil extracellular trap formation

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Changlin Du
   2. Chuanting Xu
   3. Pengcheng Jia
   4. Na Cai
   5. Zhenming Zhang
   6. Wenna Meng
   7. Lu Chen
   8. Zhongnan Zhou
   9. Qi Wang
   10. Rui Feng
   11. Jun Li
   12. Xiaoming Meng
   13. Cheng Huang
   14. Taotao Ma

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper is of interest to a broad audience of cell biologists, and researchers who work in cell death and the role of NETosis in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases. This study presents valuable new insights to support NETosis plays an important role in the development of aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). A series of compelling experiments using in vivo and in vitro model supported that AAN induced NET formation via IL-19-IL20-beta receptor can induce inflammation and cell death. This new knowledge of the interaction between kidney cells and neutrophils could have clinical implications in the treatment of AAN.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Inhibition of Cpeb3 ribozyme elevates CPEB3 protein expression and polyadenylation of its target mRNAs and enhances object location memory

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Claire C Chen
   2. Joseph Han
   3. Carlene A Chinn
   4. Jacob S Rounds
   5. Xiang Li
   6. Mehran Nikan
   7. Marie Myszka
   8. Liqi Tong
   9. Luiz FM Passalacqua
   10. Timothy Bredy
   11. Marcelo A Wood
   12. Andrej Luptak

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this manuscript the authors describe the expression and regulatory function of a self-cleaving ribozyme in the Cpeb3 gene. This is an important study because although many self-cleaving ribozymes have been identified in the genome, the functions of these RNA enzymes even for molecular control of their target genes is mostly unknown. The manuscript provides solid data for the molecular function of the ribosome in gene regulation and its role in hippocampal learning. The study will be of interest to neurobiologists who study gene regulatory mechanisms in learning.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Pain persists in mice lacking both Substance P and CGRPα signaling

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Donald Iain MacDonald
   2. Monessha Jayabalan
   3. Jonathan T Seaman
   4. Rakshita Balaji
   5. Alec R Nickolls
   6. Alexander Theodore Chesler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This report used a new double knockout mouse model to investigate the role of two neuropeptides, substance P and CGRPa, in pain signaling. There is convincing evidence that double knockout of these two molecules, both of which have historically been associated with pain, does not affect nociception or acute pain behaviors in males and females. This finding is fundamental, as it challenges the hypothesis that these peptides are essential for pain transmission, even when targeted together. This paper will be of interest to those interested in the neurobiology of pain and/or neuropeptide function.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Commissureless acts as a substrate adapter in a conserved Nedd4 E3 ubiquitin ligase pathway to promote axon growth across the midline

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Kelly G Sullivan
   2. Greg J Bashaw

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work is of fundamental significance to the field of nervous system development as it advances our mechanistic understanding of axon guidance. The rigorous biochemical and genetic approaches are compelling, experiments are well-controlled, and the major claims are supported by convincing data. The study should be of general interest to the developmental neurobiology community.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Genetic and pharmacologic alterations of claudin9 levels suffice to induce functional and mature inner hair cells

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Yingying Chen
   2. Jeong Han Lee
   3. Jin Li
   4. Seojin Park
   5. Maria C Perez Flores
   6. Braulio Peguero
   7. Jennifer Kersigo
   8. Mincheol Kang
   9. Jinsil Choi
   10. Lauren Levine
   11. Michael Anne Gratton
   12. Bernd Fritzsch
   13. Ebenezer N Yamoah

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study reports the induction of supernumerary inner hair cells in the mouse cochlea upon reducing the expression level of a tight-junction protein (claudin-9) at developmental stages. Although these ectopic hair cells are functional and persists through adulthood, the evidence supporting some of the claims is incomplete, particularly regarding the underlying mechanisms of cell differentiation and the potential of the approach for hair-cell regeneration. The work will be of interest to scientists working in the development and regeneration of hair cells in the inner ear.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Altered reactivity to threatening stimuli in Drosophila models of Parkinson’s disease, revealed by a trial-based assay

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Márton Kajtor
   2. Viktor A. Billes
   3. Bálint Király
   4. Patricia Karkusova
   5. Tibor Kovács
   6. Hannah Stabb
   7. Katalin Sviatkó
   8. Andor Vizi
   9. Eszter Ujvári
   10. Diána Balázsfi
   11. Sophie E. Seidenbecher
   12. Duda Kvitsiani
   13. Tibor Vellai
   14. Balázs Hangya

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors present useful findings on the use of a Drosophila behavioral paradigm for assessing different fly genetic models of neurodegeneration. The experimental design and analyses are solid and can be used for quick behavioral assessment in fly models of various neurodegenerative diseases, especially those having an impact on locomotion. The work will be of interest to Drosophila biologists using behavior as a readout for their studies.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Cell-autonomous targeting of arabinogalactan by host immune factors inhibits mycobacterial growth

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Lianhua Qin
   2. Junfang Xu
   3. Jianxia Chen
   4. Sen Wang
   5. Ruijuan Zheng
   6. Zhenling Cui
   7. Zhonghua Liu
   8. Xiangyang Wu
   9. Jie Wang
   10. Xiaochen Huang
   11. Zhaohui Wang
   12. Mingqiao Wang
   13. Rong Pan
   14. Stefan HE Kaufmann
   15. Xun Meng
   16. Lu Zhang
   17. Wei Sha
   18. Haipeng Liu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The main idea tested in this work is that host galectin-9 inhibits Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) growth by recognizing the Mtb cell wall component arabinogalactan (AG) and, as a result, disrupting mycobacterial cell wall structure. Moreover, a similar effect is achieved by anti-AG antibodies. While the hypothesis is intriguing and the work has the potential to make a valuable contribution to Mtb therapy, the evidence presented is incomplete and does not explain several critical points including the dose-independent effect of galectin-9 on Mtb growth and how anti-AG antibodies and galectin-9 access the AG layer of intact Mtb.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Maternal smoking DNA methylation risk score associated with health outcomes in offspring of European and South Asian ancestry

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Wei Q Deng
   2. Nathan Cawte
   3. Natalie Campbell
   4. Sandi M Azab
   5. Russell J de Souza
   6. Amel Lamri
   7. Katherine M Morrison
   8. Stephanie A Atkinson
   9. Padmaja Subbarao
   10. Stuart E Turvey
   11. Theo J Moraes
   12. Koon K Teo
   13. Piush J Mandhane
   14. Meghan B Azad
   15. Elinor Simons
   16. Guillaume Paré
   17. Sonia S Anand

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study offers a useful advance by introducing a cord blood DNA methylation score for maternal smoking effects, with the inclusion of cohorts from diverse backgrounds. However, the overall strength of evidence is deemed incomplete, due to concerns regarding low exposure levels and low statistical power, which hampers the generalisability of their findings. The study provides an interesting basis for future studies, but would benefit from the addition of more cohorts to validate the findings and a focus on more diverse health outcomes.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Computational Engineering of a Therapeutic Antibody to Inhibit Multiple Mutants of HER2 Without Compromising Inhibition of the Canonical HER2

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Sapir Peled
   2. Julia Guez-Haddad
   3. Nevet Zur Biton
   4. Guy Nimrod
   5. Sharon Fischman
   6. Yair Fastman
   7. Yanay Ofran

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this important manuscript, the authors used unbiased approaches to identify somatic mutations in publicly available databases that would disrupt clinically approved antibodies targeting HER2. Using a solid combination of both computational and experimental approaches they identify mutations that could restore therapeutic antibody sensitivity in a series of disease-relevant model systems. Additional cell-based and in vivo assays would strengthen the work and increase the translational and potential clinical relevance of the proposed work.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in Sertoli cells regulates age-dependent changes in sperm DNA methylation

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Saira Amir
    2. Olatunbosun Arowolo
    3. Ekaterina Mironova
    4. Joseph McGaunn
    5. Oladele Oluwayiose
    6. Oleg Sergeyev
    7. J Richard Pilsner
    8. Alexander Suvorov

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This potentially important study addresses the effects of aging on the sperm epigenome and its consequences for reproductive health. The evidence supporting the main claim remains incomplete. This study will be of interest to researchers working on aging and reproductive health.

    Reviewed by eLife