eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. 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 András 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 single-fly behavioral paradigm for assessing different Drosophila 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Akkermansia muciniphila identified as key strain to alleviate gut barrier injury through Wnt signaling pathway

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Xin Ma
   2. Meng Li
   3. Yuanyuan Zhang
   4. Tingting Xu
   5. Xinchen Zhou
   6. Mengqi Qian
   7. Zhiren Yang
   8. Xinyan Han

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The work by Han and collaborators describes valuable findings on the role of Akkermansia muciniphila during ETEC infection. If confirmed, these findings will add to a growing list of beneficial properties of this organism. The strength of the evidence used to justify the conclusions in the manuscript is solid, as the analyses broadly support the claims with only minor weaknesses.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. The potential of inversions to accumulate balanced sexual antagonism is supported by simulations and Drosophila experiments

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Christopher S McAllester
   2. John E Pool

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study proposes a new model that could solve some long-standing puzzles about inversion polymorphisms in Drosophila melanogaster by invoking sexually antagonism and negative frequency-dependent selection. While the idea developed here is a valuable contribution to the field, the experiment only addresses one element of the hypothesis, so that the empirical evidence in support of the model remains incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Measuring changes in Plasmodium falciparum census population size in response to sequential malaria control interventions

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Kathryn E Tiedje
   2. Qi Zhan
   3. Shazia Ruybal-Pésantez
   4. Gerry Tonkin-Hill
   5. Qixin He
   6. Mun Hua Tan
   7. Dionne C Argyropoulos
   8. Samantha L Deed
   9. Anita Ghansah
   10. Oscar Bangre
   11. Abraham R Oduro
   12. Kwadwo A Koram
   13. Mercedes Pascual
   14. Karen P Day

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study highlights how the diversity of the malaria parasite population diminishes following the initiation of effective control interventions but quickly rebounds as control wanes. It also demonstrates that the asymptomatic reservoir is unevenly distributed across host age groups. The data presented are convincing and the work shows how genetic studies could be used to monitor changes in disease transmission.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Antimicrobial activity of iron-depriving pyoverdines against human opportunistic pathogens

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Vera Vollenweider
   2. Karoline Rehm
   3. Clara Chepkirui
   4. Manuela Pérez-Berlanga
   5. Magdalini Polymenidou
   6. Jörn Piel
   7. Laurent Bigler
   8. Rolf Kümmerli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study highlights the use of siderophores as antibacterials, and the authors also discuss the consequences and efficacy of 'siderophore therapy' in more complex communities/environments. The evidence supporting the overall hypotheses ranges is largely convincing. The work will be of broad interest to people working in the fields of evolutionary ecology, microbiology and medical sciences.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB Increases Transposon Activity and Retention

    This article has 2 authors:

    1. Davneet Kaur
    2. Thomas E. Kuhlman

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This important study uses an innovative set of reporter assays to probe the role of the TnpB protein in IS608 transposition. The work provides independent support for the recently reported homing activity of TnpB, where the transposon is restored following excision, and suggests an additional function for TnpB in enhancing the transposase activity of the TnpA transposase. The overall approach is solid, but the authors should consider how the activity of the TnpB protein used, or the levels of ωRNA, impact their model.

    Reviewed by eLife