eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Afadin Sorts Different Retinal Neuron Types into Accurate Cellular Layers

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Matthew R Lum
   2. Sachin H Patel
   3. Hannah K Graham
   4. Mengya Zhao
   5. Yujuan Yi
   6. Liang Li
   7. Melissa Yao
   8. Anna La Torre
   9. Luca Della Santina
   10. Ying Han
   11. Yang Hu
   12. Derek S Welsbie
   13. Xin Duan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study demonstrates the critical role of Afadin on the generation and maintenance of complex cellular layers in the mouse retina. The data are solid, which provides important insights into how cell-adhesion molecules contribute to retinal organization. However, further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying the cellular disorganization phenotype in the retina and axonal projection to the brain.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Structure and Cl- Conductance Properties of the Open State of Human CFTR

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Zhi-Wei Zeng
   2. Christopher E Ing
   3. Régis Pomès

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study reports a detailed computational analysis of the CFTR ion channel's permeation mechanism, advancing our understanding of its structure-function relationship. The conclusions are based on extensive molecular dynamics simulations and thorough analysis, but the use of an approximate chloride ion model, known to underestimate key ion-protein interactions, leaves them incomplete without experimental or alternative computational validation. The work will be of interest to biophysicists working on CFTR and cystic fibrosis.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Iridescent structural coloration in a crested Cretaceous enantiornithine bird from Jehol Biota

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Zhiheng Li
   2. Jinsheng Hu
   3. Thomas A Stidham
   4. Mao Ye
   5. Min Wang
   6. Yanhong Pan
   7. Tao Zhao
   8. Jingshu Li
   9. Zhonghe Zhou
   10. Julia A Clarke

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a potentially fundamental analysis of the original color of a fossil feather from the crest of a 125-million-year-old enantiornithine bird, using sophisticated 3D microscopic and numerical methods to conclude that the feather was iridescent and brightly colored, possibly indicating that this was a male bird that used its crest in sexual displays. At present, the strength of evidence supporting the authors' conclusions is considered incomplete based on methodological incompleteness and questions about taphonomy.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Structure-Guided Loop Grafting Improves Expression and Stability of Influenza Neuraminidase for Vaccine Development

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Pramila Rijal
   2. Leiyan Wei
   3. Guido C Paesen
   4. David I Stuart
   5. Mark R Howarth
   6. Kuan-Ying A Huang
   7. Thomas A Bowden
   8. Alain RM Townsend

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors developed a methodology to graph antigenic surface loops on influenza virus neuraminidases. The hybrid proteins retained the structure of the neuraminidase scaffold and the antigenicity of the grafted loops. This fundamental work should help in developing novel neuraminidase constructs for use in influenza virus vaccines. The paper presents compelling evidence supporting the conclusions arrived at by the authors.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Scheduled feeding improves behavioral outcomes and reduces inflammation in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Huei Bin Wang
   2. Natalie E. Smale
   3. Sarah H. Brown
   4. Sophia Anne Marie Villanueva
   5. David Zhou
   6. Aly Mulji
   7. Deap S Bhandal
   8. Kyle Nguyen-Ngo
   9. John R. Harvey
   10. Cristina A. Ghiani
   11. Christopher S. Colwell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable findings by using Fmr1 knockout mice as a model to investigate the role of Fmr1 in sleep regulation. These mice exhibited clear evidence of sleep and circadian disturbances, including abnormal retinal innervation of the SCN, which may provide a potential mechanistic explanation for the observed behavioral deficits. Interestingly, the results suggest that a scheduled feeding approach could improve sleep and circadian rhythms while enhancing social interactions and reducing repetitive behaviors in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome. The topic is both intriguing and highly significant; however, while the evidence supporting the authors' claims is solid, several issues hinder the manuscript's clarity and impact.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Structure-guided secretome analysis of gall-forming microbes offers insights into effector diversity and evolution

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Soham Mukhopadhyay
   2. Muhammad Asim Javed
   3. Jiaxu Wu
   4. Edel Pérez-López

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents an important discovery regarding the diversity and evolution of gall-forming microbial effectors. Supported by convincing computational structural predictions and analyses, the research provides insights into the unique mechanisms by which gall-forming microbes exert their pathogenicity in plants. This study also offers guidance that is of value for future studies on pathogen effector function and co-evolution with host plants.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Applying 3D correlative structured illumination microscopy and X-ray tomography to characterise herpes simplex virus-1 morphogenesis

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Kamal L Nahas
   2. Viv Connor
   3. Kaveesha J Wijesinghe
   4. Henry G Barrow
   5. Ian M Dobbie
   6. Maria Harkiolaki
   7. Stephen C Graham
   8. Colin M Crump

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental manuscript comprehensively examines the roles of nine structural proteins in herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) assembly and nuclear egress. By integrating cryo-light microscopy and soft X-ray tomography, the study presents an innovative approach to investigating viral assembly within cells. The research is thoroughly executed, yielding compelling data that explain previously unknown functions of these structural proteins. This work is of broad interest to virologists, cellular biologists, and structural biologists, offering a robust, contextually rich methodology for studying large protein complex assembly within the cellular environment, serving as an excellent starting point for high-resolution techniques.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A thermodynamic framework for nonequilibrium self-assembly and force morphology tradeoffs in branched actin networks

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Elisabeth Rennert
   2. Suriyanarayanan Vaikuntanathan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Rennert et al. developed a valuable thermodynamic framework to study the force response of branched actin networks from the crucial and unexplored perspective of energetic cost. They used the fact that the entropy production rate must be positive to derive inequalities that set limits on the maximum force produced by branched actin networks, and speculate that the dissipative cost beyond that required to move the load may be necessary to maintain an adaptive steady state. This work is highly innovative, but remains incomplete until the hypotheses of the model are better justified and the conclusions about the dissipative cost of the system are better established.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Interplay of YEATS2 and GCDH mediates histone crotonylation and drives EMT in head and neck cancer

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Deepak Pant
   2. Parik Kakani
   3. Rushikesh Joshi
   4. Shruti Agrawal
   5. Atul Samaiya
   6. Sanjeev Shukla

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     These useful findings assigned a novel functional implication of histone acylation, crotonylation. Although the mechanistic insights have been provided in great detail regarding the role of the YEATS2-GCDH axis in modulating EMT in HNC, the strength of evidence for the manuscript is incomplete. The patient cohort is very small, with just 10 patients; to establish a significant result the cohort size should be increased. Furthermore, the functional implication of p300 is also to be looked into.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Chalkophore mediated respiratory oxidase flexibility controls M. tuberculosis virulence

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. John A Buglino
    2. Yaprak Ozakman
    3. Chad E Hatch
    4. Anna Benjamin
    5. Derek S Tan
    6. Michael S Glickman

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      In this important study, the authors advance our understanding of copper uptake by chalkophores and their targeted metalloproteins in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These convincing data demonstrate that chalkophore-acquired copper is solely incorporated into the Mtb bcc:aa3 copper-iron respiratory oxidase under low copper conditions, and that chalkophore-mediated protection of the respiratory chain is critical to Mtb virulence. These findings may be leveraged for drug discovery and will be of broad interest to those studying bacterial pathogenesis.

    Reviewed by eLife, Rapid Reviews Infectious Diseases