eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Spectral decomposition unlocks ascidian morphogenesis

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Joel Dokmegang
   2. Emmanuel Faure
   3. Patrick Lemaire
   4. Edwin Munro
   5. Madhav Mani

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this important work, a quantitative analysis method for three-dimensional morphogenetic processes during embryonic development is introduced. The proposed method is a pipeline combining several methods, allowing quantitative analysis of developmental processes without cell segmentation and tracking. Upon application of their method, the authors obtain convincing evidence that ascidian gastrulation is a two-step process. This work should be of interest to a broad range of developmental biologists who aim to obtain a quantitative understanding of morphogenesis.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Spatial periodicity in grid cell firing is explained by a neural sequence code of 2-D trajectories

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Rebecca RG
   2. Giorgio A Ascoli
   3. Nate M Sutton
   4. Holger Dannenberg

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents a theoretical framework in which spatial periodicity in grid cell firing emerges as the optimal solution for encoding two-dimensional spatial trajectories via sequential neural activation. The idea is supported by solid evidence, though it rests on several key assumptions that merit careful consideration. This work will be of interest to neuroscientists investigating the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Compressed sensing-based approach identifies modular neural circuitry driving learned pathogen avoidance

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Timothy Hallacy
   2. Abdullah Yonar
   3. Niels Ringstad
   4. Sharad Ramanathan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study describes a neural circuit contributing to two behavioral processes affecting pathogen avoidance in the nematode C. elegans. The method used to identify specific contributing neurons is innovative and the experimental evidence supporting the major claims is solid. This study will be of interest to neuroscientists studying behavior, in particular in C. elegans.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Astrocytes mediate two forms of spike timing-dependent depression at entorhinal cortex-hippocampal synapses

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Irene Martínez-Gallego
   2. Heriberto Coatl-Cuaya
   3. Antonio Rodriguez-Moreno

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study reports the existence of specific spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity processes at two excitatory synapses of the dentate gyrus granule cells. These synapses link the entorhinal cortex and the dentate gyrus but via different circuits. With state-of-the-art patch-clamp electrophysiological analysis, the authors provide convincing information on the molecular mechanisms underlying these 2 forms of synaptic plasticity showing a critical role for astrocytes in both alongside some features distinctive to each pathway. These results will be of interest to neuroscientists as they uncover detailed plasticity mechanisms involving the hippocampus.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Altered visual cortex excitatory/inhibitory ratio following transient congenital visual deprivation in humans

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Rashi Pant
   2. Kabilan Pitchaimuthu
   3. José P Ossandón
   4. Idris Shareef
   5. Sunitha Lingareddy
   6. Jürgen Finsterbusch
   7. Ramesh Kekunnaya
   8. Brigitte Röder

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This neuroimaging and electrophysiology study in a small cohort of congenital cataract patients with sight recovery aims to characterize the effects of early visual deprivation on excitatory and inhibitory balance in visual cortex. While contrasting sight-recovery with visually intact controls suggested the existence of persistent alterations in Glx/GABA ratio and aperiodic EEG signals, it provided incomplete evidence supporting claims about the effects of early deprivation itself. The reported data were considered valuable, given the rare study population. However, methodological limitations will likely restrict usefulness to scientists working in this particular subfield.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Synaptic mechanisms modulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of striatal direct pathway neurons and motor output

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. John J Marshall
   2. Jian Xu
   3. Nai-Hsing Yeh
   4. Seongsik Yun
   5. Toshihro Nomura
   6. John N Armstrong
   7. Jones Parker
   8. Anis Contractor

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Marshall et al describe the effects of altering metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 activity on activity of D1 receptor expressing spiny projection neurons in dorsolateral striatum focusing on two states - locomotion and rest. The authors examine effects of dSPN-specific constitutive mGlu5 deletion in several motor tests to arrive at this finding. Effects of inhibiting the degradation of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol are also examined. Overall, this is a valuable study that provides solid new information of relevance to movement disorders and possibly psychosis.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Widespread Horizontal Gene Transfer Among Animal Viruses

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Christopher B. Buck
   2. Nicole Welch
   3. Anna K. Belford
   4. Arvind Varsani
   5. Diana V. Pastrana
   6. Michael J. Tisza
   7. Gabriel J. Starrett

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study is a computational analysis using publicly available deep sequencing datasets and the findings support the models that propose widespread gene transfer amongst DNA viruses. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, but reproducing the analysis based only on the information as presented in the Materials and Methods would be difficult as the data are currently presented. A Flow chart that details the process would help. This is an almost entirely computational study without experimental evidence but one that has the potential to become a fundamental resource for virus hunters - an activity of increasing importance.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Aminoglycoside tolerance in Vibrio cholerae engages translational reprogramming associated with queuosine tRNA modification

   This article has 20 authors:

   1. Louna Fruchard
   2. Anamaria Babosan
   3. Andre Carvalho
   4. Manon Lang
   5. Blaise Li
   6. Magalie Duchateau
   7. Quentin Giai Gianetto
   8. Mariette Matondo
   9. Frederic Bonhomme
   10. Isabelle Hatin
   11. Hugo Arbes
   12. Céline Fabret
   13. Enora Corler
   14. Guillaume Sanchez
   15. Virginie Marchand
   16. Yuri Motorin
   17. Olivier Namy
   18. Valérie de Crécy-Lagard
   19. Didier Mazel
   20. Zeynep Baharoglu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study investigates the role of queuosine (Q) tRNA modification in aminoglycoside tolerance in Vibrio cholerae and presents convincing evidence to conclude that Q is essential for the efficient translation of TAT codons, although this depends on the context. The absence of Q reduces aminoglycoside tolerance potentially by reprogramming the translation of an oxidative stress response gene, rxsA. Overall, the findings point to an important mechanism whereby changes in Q modification levels control the decoding of mRNAs enriched in TAT codons under antibiotic stress.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Does bumblebee preference of continuous over interrupted strings in string-pulling tasks indicate means-end comprehension?

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Chao Wen
   2. Yuyi Lu
   3. Cwyn Solvi
   4. Shunping Dong
   5. Cai Wang
   6. Xiujun Wen
   7. Haijun Xiao
   8. Shikui Dong
   9. Junbao Wen
   10. Fei Peng
   11. Lars Chittka

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides valuable new insights into insect cognition and problem-solving in bumblebees. The authors present convincing evidence that bumblebees lack causal understanding in a string-pulling task, and find support for bumblebees instead using image-matching for this task.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Diurnal rhythmicity in metabolism and salivary effector expression shapes host colonization by aphids

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Jinlong Han
    2. Daniel Kunk
    3. Meihua Cui
    4. Yoshiahu Goldstein
    5. Vered Tzin
    6. Vamsi J. Nalam

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      In this study, the authors found that a species of aphid that is a known agricultural pest salivated longer and produced more honeydew when feeding at night. The authors identified aphid genes with diurnal expression patterns, including potential saliva-related genes. Silencing these genes reduced aphid performance only on real plants, suggesting a specific role in plant feeding. While this study is valuable for understanding plant-insect interactions in agriculture, it is currently incomplete, as further research is needed to elucidate the function of the identified genes.

    Reviewed by eLife