eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Stereotype of mouse social competency and status revealed by a novel competition paradigm in combination with available paradigms

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Meiqiu Liu
   2. Yue Chen
   3. Rongqing Chen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study proposes a useful assay to identify relative social ranks in mice incorporating the competitive drive for two basic resources - food and living space. Using this new protocol, the authors provide solid evidence of stable ranking among male and female pairs, while reporting more fluctuant hierarchies among triads of males. The evidence is, however, incomplete in providing ethologically based validation, assessment of the influence of competitor recognition, rigorous analysis of training data, and proof of concept of application to neuroscience. With these concerns addressed, this manuscript will be of interest to those interested in social behavior and related neuroscience.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Probing the role of synaptic adhesion molecule RTN4RL2 in setting up cochlear connectivity

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Nare Karagulyan
   2. Maja Überegger
   3. Yumeng Qi
   4. Norbert Babai
   5. Florian Hofer
   6. Lejo Johnson Chacko
   7. Fangfang Wang
   8. Maria Luque
   9. Rudolf Glueckert
   10. Anneliese Schrott-Fischer
   11. Yunfeng Hua
   12. Tobias Moser
   13. Christine Bandtlow

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     By using molecular tools, electrophysiology, and ultrastructural reconstructions, this manuscript investigates the role of the Nogo/RTN4 receptor homolog RTN4RL2 at the afferent synapses between the sensory inner hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons and proposes that this regulates key aspects of hearing. The study is important because it provides insights into potential therapeutic targets for hearing loss related to synaptic dysfunction. The experimental data, based on the use of excellent tools, is solid and could be further improved with additional experiments that strengthen the validity of the findings and their interpretation, described in detail in the reviewers' comments.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Identification of a sub-population of synovial mesenchymal stem cells with enhanced treatment efficacy in a rat model of Osteoarthritis

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Nedaa Al-Jezani
   2. Asmaa Affan
   3. Catherine Leonard
   4. Nabangshu Das
   5. Luiz Gustavo Almeida
   6. Daniel Young
   7. Anand O Masson
   8. Antoine Dufour
   9. Paul Salo
   10. Pam Railton
   11. James N Powell
   12. Roman J Krawetz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study focused on characterizing clonally derived MSC populations from the synovium of normal and osteoarthritis (OA) patients, demonstrating their potential to regenerate cartilage in vivo. Although the strength of evidence is solid, further work is needed to fill the gaps in the CD47Hi cell characterization and the in vivo response assessment. The study will be of interest to scientists advancing MSC based regenerative medicine approaches.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. R-Spondin Mimetic, SZN-043, Induced Proliferation and Wnt Activity, Two Features Deficient in Human Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Trevor Fisher
   2. Mehaben Patel
   3. Shalaka Deshmukh
   4. Darshini Shah
   5. Chenggang Lu
   6. Maureen Newman
   7. Jay Ye
   8. Russell Fletcher
   9. Geertrui F Vanhove
   10. Jay Tibbitts
   11. Yang Li
   12. Nicholas J Skill
   13. Zhihong Yang
   14. Suthat Liangpunsakul
   15. Helene Baribault

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study highlights the novel role of RSPO mimetic SZN-043 in the activation of hepatic WNT signaling and promoting hepatocyte regeneration. The authors provided solid evidence of SZN-043 increasing hepatocyte proliferation in various mouse models, including a humanized mouse liver model, ALD model, and CCL4 fibrosis model, although mechanistic characterization of liver pathology remains incomplete. This study will be of interest to researchers in liver regeneration and repair mechanisms.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Acute aerobic exercise intensity does not modulate pain potentially due to differences in fitness levels and sex effects – results from a pharmacological fMRI study

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Janne I. Nold
   2. Tahmine Fadai
   3. Christian Büchel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Nold et al. examined exercise-induced pain modulation in a pharmacological within-subject fMRI study using the opioid-antagonist naloxone and different levels of aerobic exercise and pain. This study provides valuable findings showing that the intensity of exercise does not seem to impact the hypoalgesic effect; however, the evidence is incomplete for the claims relating to the overall effect of exercise on pain, since they cannot be tested with the proposed experimental design.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Megakaryocytes assemble a three-dimensional cage of extracellular matrix that controls their maturation and anchoring to the vascular niche

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Claire Masson
   2. Cyril Scandola
   3. Jean-Yves Rinckel
   4. Fabienne Proamer
   5. Emily Janus-Bell
   6. Fareeha Batool
   7. Naël Osmani
   8. Jacky G Goetz
   9. Léa Mallo
   10. Catherine Léon
   11. Alicia Bornert
   12. Renaud Poincloux
   13. Olivier Destaing
   14. Alma Mansson
   15. Hong Qian
   16. Maxime Lehmann
   17. Anita Eckly

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors provide a thorough investigation of the interaction of megakaryocytes (MK) with their associated extracellular matrix (ECM) during maturation; they provide evidence that the existence of a dense cage-like pericellular structure containing laminin γ1 and α4 and collagen IV is key to fixing the perisinusoidal localization of MK and preventing their premature intravasation. Adhesion of MK to this ECM cage is dependent on integrin beta1 and beta3 expressed by MK. This strong and solid conclusion is based on the use of state-of-the art techniques such as the use of primary murine bone marrow MK cultures, mice lacking ECM receptors, namely integrin beta1 and beta3 null mice, as well as high-resolution 2D and 3D imaging. The study provides valuable insight into the role of cell-matrix interactions in MK maturation and provides an interesting model with practical implications for the fields of hemostasis and thrombosis.

   Reviewed by preLights, eLife

7. Parkinson’s disease-associated Pink1 loss disrupts vesicle trafficking in Ensheathing glia causing dopaminergic neuron synapse loss

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Lorenzo Ghezzi
   2. Ulrike Pech
   3. Nils Schoovaerts
   4. Suresh Poovathingal
   5. Kristofer Davie
   6. Jochen Lamote
   7. Roman Praschberger
   8. Patrik Verstreken

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The preliminary data presented in this manuscript seem valuable. The data are currently incomplete and there are numerous technical concerns, some of which may arise from insufficient description of methodologies used.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Interleukin-4 induces CD11c+ microglia leading to amelioration of neuropathic pain in mice

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Keita Kohno
   2. Ryoji Shirasaka
   3. Keita Hirose
   4. Takahiro Masuda
   5. Makoto Tsuda

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study is important as it highlighted how IL-4 regulates the reactive state of a specific microglial population by increasing the proportion of CD11c+ microglial cells and ultimately suppressing neuropathic pain. It provided convincing evidence on the pain-resolving roles of microglia. However, the authors are encouraged to clarify data interpretation and integrate the study's findings into the existing knowledge about microglia, monocytes, and macrophages.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Strikingly different neurotransmitter release strategies in dopaminergic subclasses

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Ana Dorrego-Rivas
   2. Darren J Byrne
   3. Yunyi Liu
   4. Menghon Cheah
   5. Ceren Arslan
   6. Marcela Lipovsek
   7. Marc C Ford
   8. Matthew S Grubb

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents solid evidence for distinct neurotransmitter release modalities between two subclasses of dopaminergic neurons in the olfactory bulb, highlighting an important finding that dendritic neurotransmitter release in anaxonic neurons and axonal neurotransmitter release in axon-bearing neurons, and GABAergic self-inhibition in anaxonic neurons emphasizes the functional differences between these neuronal subtypes. However, some experiments looked incomplete with a relatively small sample size (low n). The conclusion would benefit significantly from additional validations.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. A single cysteine residue in vimentin regulates long non-coding RNA XIST to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness in breast cancer

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Saima Usman
    2. W Andrew Yeudall
    3. Muy-Teck Teh
    4. Fatemah Ghloum
    5. Hemanth Tummala
    6. Ahmad Waseem

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study reveals that the structural protein vimentin promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells. Utilizing robust and validated methodologies, the data collected provide a solid foundation for further investigation into metastasis models. This work will be of significant interest to researchers in the field of breast cancer.

    Reviewed by eLife