eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. A parameterized two-domain thermodynamic model explains diverse mutational effects on protein allostery

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Zhuang Liu
   2. Thomas G Gillis
   3. Srivatsan Raman
   4. Qiang Cui

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The study presents valuable findings where two-domain thermodynamic model for TetR accurately predicts in vivo phenotype changes brought about as a result of various mutations. The evidence provided is compelling and features the first innovative observations with a computational model that captures the structural behavior, much more than the current single-domain models.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Archaic introgression contributed to shape the adaptive modulation of angiogenesis and cardiovascular traits in human high-altitude populations from the Himalayas

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Giulia Ferraretti
   2. Paolo Abondio
   3. Marta Alberti
   4. Agnese Dezi
   5. Phurba T Sherpa
   6. Paolo Cocco
   7. Massimiliano Tiriticco
   8. Marco Di Marcello
   9. Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone
   10. Luca Natali
   11. Angela Corcelli
   12. Giorgio Marinelli
   13. Davide Peluzzi
   14. Stefania Sarno
   15. Marco Sazzini

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable findings on what networks of genes were impacted by introgression from Denisovans, to identify the biological functions involved in high-altitude adaptation in Tibet. This study applies solid and previously validated methodology to identify genes with signatures of both introgression and positive selection. This paper would be of interest to population geneticists, anthropologists, and scientists studying the genetic basis underlying high-altitude adaptation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Autophagosome development and chloroplast segmentation occur synchronously for piecemeal degradation of chloroplasts

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Masanori Izumi
   2. Sakuya Nakamura
   3. Kohei Otomo
   4. Hiroyuki Ishida
   5. Jun Hidema
   6. Tomomi Nemoto
   7. Shinya Hagihara

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript investigates how chloroplasts are broken down during light-limiting conditions as plants reorganize their energy-producing organelles during carbon limitation. The authors provide compelling live-cell imaging data of plastids and solid quantification of events, documenting that buds form on the surface of chloroplasts and pinch away, then associate with the vacuole via a mechanism that depends on autophagy machinery, but not plastid division machinery. This manuscript provides valuable groundwork for other scientists studying the regulation and breakdown of energy-producing organelles, including chloroplasts and mitochondria.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Synovial macrophage diversity and activation of M-CSF signaling in post-traumatic osteoarthritis

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Alexander J Knights
   2. Easton C Farrell
   3. Olivia M Ellis
   4. Michelle J Song
   5. C Thomas Appleton
   6. Tristan Maerz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides useful information by identifying the cell type (macrophages) in synovial tissues involved in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) and clarifying distinct transcriptomic signatures that may be a good therapeutic target for OA. However, the analysis performed so far is incomplete, with a main weakness being the lack of data to confirm the authors' speculation about the underlying mechanisms.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Soybean RIN4 represents a mechanistic link between plant immune and symbiotic signaling

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Katalin Tóth
   2. Daewon Kim
   3. Sung-Hwan Cho
   4. Cuong T Nguyen
   5. Tran HN Nguyen
   6. Christopher Hartanto
   7. Jean-Michel Michno
   8. Adrian O Stec
   9. Robert M Stupar
   10. Gary Stacey

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The manuscript reports fundamental findings supported by convincing data that supports the biological mechanism for optimal nodulation in soybean. The results are of relevance to understanding the signaling pathways (specifically those dependent on RIN4/RPM1-interacting protein 4) underpinning beneficial rhizobia symbiosis, while repressing the immune response.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Movies reveal the fine-grained organization of infant visual cortex

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Cameron T Ellis
   2. Tristan S Yates
   3. Michael J Arcaro
   4. Nicholas Turk-Browne

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents valuable evidence concerning the potential for naturalistic movie-viewing fMRI experiments to reveal some features that are correlated with the functional and topographical organization of the developing visual system in awake infants and toddlers. The data are compelling given the difficulty of studying this population, the methodology is original and validated, and the evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing and in line with prior research using resting-state and awake task-based fMRI. This study will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists and developmental psychologists, and in particular those interested in using fMRI to investigate brain organisation in pediatric and clinical populations with limited tolerance to fMRI.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Expanding the Drosophila toolkit for dual control of gene expression

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Jonathan Zirin
   2. Barbara Jusiak
   3. Raphael Lopes
   4. Benjamin Ewen-Campen
   5. Justin A Bosch
   6. Alexandria Risbeck
   7. Corey Forman
   8. Christians Villalta
   9. Yanhui Hu
   10. Norbert Perrimon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reports the generation of genetic tools for manipulating several tissues at the same time in Drosophila. The authors provide convincing evidence that this allows for the generation of LexA and QF2 driver lines, which will be of great utility for understanding inter-organ communication. Making the tools available through the Drosophila stock center and plasmid depository will ensure that they are easily accessed by many researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Conditional chemoconnectomics (cCCTomics) as a strategy for efficient and conditional targeting of chemical transmission

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Renbo Mao
   2. Jianjun Yu
   3. Bowen Deng
   4. Xihuimin Dai
   5. Yuyao Du
   6. Sujie Du
   7. Wenxia Zhang
   8. Yi Rao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper expands the genetic toolset that was previously developed by the Rao lab to introduce the conditional downregulation of neurotransmission components in Drosophila. As a proof of principle, the authors tested their new collection and provide evidence of the contribution of CNMamide (a neuropeptide) to the temporal control of locomotor activity patterns. These are overall important findings supported by compelling evidence.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. A modified BCG with depletion of enzymes associated with peptidoglycan amidation induces enhanced protection against tuberculosis in mice

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Moagi Tube Shaku
   2. Peter K Um
   3. Karl L Ocius
   4. Alexis J Apostolos
   5. Marcos M Pires
   6. William R Bishai
   7. Bavesh D Kana

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this manuscript, the authors investigate whether the effects of the BCG vaccine on immunity to Mtb infection could be improved by inhibiting amidation of the peptidoglycan sidechains to allow for recognition by NOD-1. This is a very important area and an interesting new approach to improve vaccination for TB. The authors find that CRISPRi knockdown of murT-gatD causes rather dramatic cell wall defects, more accessible cell wall labeling, and results in attenuated growth in macrophages and mice. This forms a foundation for further study of whether an approach like that which is presented herein would improve vaccination responses in TB.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Characterization of caffeine response regulatory variants in vascular endothelial cells

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Carly Boye
    2. Cynthia A Kalita
    3. Anthony S Findley
    4. Adnan Alazizi
    5. Julong Wei
    6. Xiaoquan Wen
    7. Roger Pique-Regi
    8. Francesca Luca

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This important study combines disease-associated genetic variation with a massively parallel reporter assay and different cellular perturbations to identify context-specific genetic regulatory effects. The methods and analyses are solid and the proposed functional variants will be helpful for experimental and quantitative geneticists studying a wide range of complex traits.

    Reviewed by eLife