eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri type III effector PthA4 directs the dynamical expression of a putative citrus carbohydrate-binding protein gene for canker formation

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Xinyu Chen
   2. Huasong Zou
   3. Tao Zhuo
   4. Wei Rou
   5. Wei Wu
   6. Xiaojing Fan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study provides new insight into potential subtle dynamics in effector biology. The data presented generally support the claims, but in some cases, significant controls are missing and so the overall work is currently incomplete. If the limitations can be addressed, this work should be of broad relevance for biologists interested in molecular plant-microbe interactions.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. ASAR lncRNAs control DNA replication timing through interactions with multiple hnRNP/RNA binding proteins

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Mathew Thayer
   2. Michael B Heskett
   3. Leslie G Smith
   4. Paul T Spellman
   5. Phillip A Yates

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study expands generally upon our understanding of the role of hnRNP proteins in lncRNA function through analysis of ASAR genes that are present on all chromosomes and of profound significance. The findings provide convincing evidence linking ASARs with the phenomenon of RNA retention on chromosomes, including X inactivation, thereby providing an expanded context for studies in these areas. This manuscript will be of interest to researchers studying gene regulation and the interactions and functional roles of hnRNP and lncRNAs.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Apical constriction requires patterned apical surface remodeling to synchronize cellular deformation

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Satoshi Yamashita
   2. Shuji Ishihara
   3. François Graner

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The results from this study, which investigates the mechanisms necessary for initiating tissue invagination using a cellular Potts modelling approach, suggest that apical constriction is not sufficient to drive the process by itself. The study highlights how choices inherent to modelling - such as permitting straight or curved cell edges - may affect the outcome of simulations and, consequently, their biophysical interpretation. Despite incomplete evidence supporting their major claims due to a rather coarse-grained exploration of the model, this work is useful for biophysicists investigating complex tissue deformation through computational frameworks.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Adipokinetic hormone signaling mediates the enhanced fecundity of Diaphorina citri infected by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Jiayun Li
   2. Paul Holford
   3. George Andrew Charles Beattie
   4. Shujie Wu
   5. Jielan He
   6. Shijian Tan
   7. Desen Wang
   8. Yurong He
   9. Yijing Cen
   10. Xiaoge Nian

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reveals the molecular basis of mutualism between a vector insect and a bacterium responsible for the most devastating disease in citrus agriculture worldwide. The evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling, with solid biochemical and gene expression analyses demonstrating the phenomenon. We believe this work will be of great interest to the fields of vector-borne disease control and host-pathogen interaction.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. A previously undescribed scene-selective site is the key to encoding ego-motion in naturalistic environments

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Bryan Kennedy
   2. Sarala N. Malladi
   3. Roger BH Tootell
   4. Shahin Nasr

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this manuscript, the authors present a wealth of fMRI data at both 3T and 7T to identify a scene-selective region of the intraparietal gyrus ("PIGS") that appears to have some responsivity to characteristics of ego-motion. In a series of experiments, they delineate the anatomical location of PIGS and functionally differentiate it from nearby V6 and OPA. Evidence for these important findings is solid, but further investigations as to the role of this region in processing ego-motion will be needed to confirm this conclusion.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Emergence of ion-channel-mediated electrical oscillations in Escherichia coli biofilms

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Emmanuel Akabuogu
   2. Victor Carneiro da Cunha Martorelli
   3. Rok Krašovec
   4. Ian S Roberts
   5. Thomas A Waigh

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This potentially valuable study presents claims of evidence for coordinated membrane potential oscillations in E. coli biofilms that can be linked to a putative K+ channel and that may serve to enhance photo-protection. The finding of waves of membrane potential would be of interest to a wide audience from molecular biology to microbiology and physical biology. Unfortunately, a major issue is that it is unclear whether the dye used can act as a Nernstian membrane potential dye in E. coli. The arguments of the authors, who largely ignore previously published contradictory evidence, are not adequate in that they do not engage with the fact that the dye behaves in their hands differently than in the hands of others. In addition, the lack of proper validation of the experimental method including key control experiments leaves the evidence incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Rabphilin-3A negatively regulates neuropeptide release, through its SNAP25 interaction

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Adlin Abramian
   2. Rein I Hoogstraaten
   3. Fiona H Murphy
   4. Kathryn F McDaniel
   5. Ruud F Toonen
   6. Matthijs Verhage

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study advances our understanding of the mechanisms of neuronal large dense-core vesicle (LDCV) secretion, which mediates neuropeptide and neurotrophin release. It describes a negative regulatory process involving the interaction of the Rab3-effector Rabphilin-3A with the SNARE fusion protein SNAP25, which limits LDCV secretion and neurite growth. The evidence in support of the authors' claims is generally convincing, but some conclusions, e.g regarding the role of Rabphilin-3A-controlled neurotrophin signaling in neurite growth, are incompletely supported. This study will be of interest to the fields of cell biology, cellular neuroscience, and neuroendocrinology.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Shaping the physical world to our ends through the left PF technical-cognition area

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. François Osiurak
   2. Giovanni Federico
   3. Arnaud Fournel
   4. Vivien Gaujoux
   5. Franck Lamberton
   6. Danièle Ibarrola
   7. Yves Rossetti
   8. Mathieu Lesourd

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study used functional MRI experiments to identify the involvement of a left parietal area (PF) in reasoning about the physical properties of actions, objects, and events. Solid evidence was shown regarding the commonalities and differences across different types of reasoning tasks, yet the methodological and theoretical interpretations require further scrutiny. The study would be of interest to researchers studying the cognitive and neural mechanisms of reasoning and problem solving.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Predicting individual traits from models of brain dynamics accurately and reliably using the Fisher kernel

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Christine Ahrends
   2. Mark W Woolrich
   3. Diego Vidaurre

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study combines the use of Fisher Kernels with Hidden Markov models aiming to improve brain-behaviour prediction. The evidence supporting the authors' conclusions is compelling, comparing brain-behaviour prediction accuracies across a range of different traits, including out of sample assessment. This work is timely and will be of interest to neuroscientists working on functional connectivity for brain-behaviour association.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Impaired myofibroblast proliferation is a central feature of pathologic post-natal alveolar simplification

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Imran S Khan
    2. Christopher Molina
    3. Xin Ren
    4. Vincent C Auyeung
    5. Max Cohen
    6. Tatsuya Tsukui
    7. Amha Atakilit
    8. Dean Sheppard

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study provides important insights into postnatal lung development and the mechanisms underlying bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a condition with high morbidity and mortality in newborns. Through the use of neonatal hyperoxia, cell-type-specific inactivation of Tgfbr2, and other injury models, the research focuses on the role of TGF-β signaling in BPD pathogenesis, highlighting impaired myofibroblast proliferation as a key factor. The inactivation of Etc2 in Pdgfra-lineaged cells disrupts myofibroblast cytokinesis, leading to alveolar simplification and reduced cell numbers. The use of transgenic mice and single-cell transcriptomics offers a detailed and high-quality dataset, advancing our understanding of BPD and serving as a invaluable resource for developmental biology and neonatal pulmonary research. The study's comprehensive approach, robust data, and methodological rigor make it a compelling contribution to the field, providing both mechanistic insights and a resource for further research into BPD pathogenesis.

    Reviewed by eLife