eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Structures of wild-type and a constitutively closed mutant of connexin26 shed light on channel regulation by CO2

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Deborah H Brotherton
   2. Sarbjit Nijjar
   3. Christos G Savva
   4. Nicholas Dale
   5. Alexander David Cameron

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents valuable new structures of a carbamylation-mimetic K125E mutant of the Cx26 gap junction channel uncovering the cytoplasmic loop structure and information about the closed state of the channel. The cryo-EM maps are in high quality and serve as strong foundations for dissecting the gating mechanism by CO2, providing convincing evidence in support of a mechanism where CO2-mediated carbamylation of Lys125 shifts the conformational equilibrium towards a state where the N-terminus occludes the pore of the channel. This information will be of interest to biochemists, cell biologists and biophysicists interested in the function of gap-junction channels in health and disease.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Inhibition of mitochondrial protein import and proteostasis by a pro-apoptotic lipid

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Josep Fita-Torró
   2. José Luis Garrido-Huarte
   3. Lucía López-Gil
   4. Agnès H Michel
   5. Benoit Kornmann
   6. Amparo Pascual-Ahuir
   7. Markus Proft

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study is a valuable observation that deals with the toxic effects of an intermediary in lipid degradation [trans-2-hexadecenal (t-2-hex)] in yeast through modification of mitochondrial protein import via the TOM complex. We find that the claim that the TOM complex is a main target of t-2-hex are supported by solid evidence, however the molecular mechanism remains unclear allowing multiple interpretation. Despite the shortcomings, this study is inspiring for researchers from the organellar, protein trafficking and lipid field and serves as a starting point to further precise and mechanistic analyses of the phenomenon.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Human DDX6 regulates translation and decay of inefficiently translated mRNAs

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Ramona Weber
   2. Chung-Te Chang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides valuable findings that improve our understanding of the evolutionary conservation of the role of DDX6 in mRNA decay. The evidence supporting the authors' conclusions is convincing. This work will be of interest to molecular, cell biologists and biochemists, especially those studying RNA.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Involvement of TRPV4 in temperature-dependent perspiration in mice

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Makiko Kashio
   2. Sandra Derouiche
   3. Reiko U Yoshimoto
   4. Kenji Sano
   5. Jing Lei
   6. Mizuho A Kido
   7. Makoto Tominaga

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This useful studying implicates TRPV4 as a mediator of sweat, potentially based on TRPV4's expression and function on sweat glands. The data and methods are solid, with some limitations in terms of the approach. Overall, the work lends new insight into the physiologic basis of sweating using data from mice and humans.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Delivery of a Jagged1-PEG-MAL hydrogel with pediatric human bone cells regenerates critically sized craniofacial bone defects

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Archana Kamalakar
   2. Brendan Tobin
   3. Sundus Kaimari
   4. M Hope Robinson
   5. Afra I Toma
   6. Timothy Cha
   7. Samir Chihab
   8. Irica Moriarity
   9. Surabhi Gautam
   10. Pallavi Bhattaram
   11. Shelly Abramowicz
   12. Hicham Drissi
   13. Andres Garcia
   14. Levi Wood
   15. Steven L Goudy

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Therapeutic treatments for congenital and acquired craniofacial (CF) bone abnormalities are not well developed. This study provides convincing evidence for an innovative regenerative treatment for pediatric craniofacial bone loss using Jagged1-PEG-MAL hydrogel with pediatric human bone cells. The report is a valuable advance in this field.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone is a direct inhibitor of human and murine pyridoxal phosphatase

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Marian Brenner
   2. Christoph Zink
   3. Linda Witzinger
   4. Angelika Keller
   5. Kerstin Hadamek
   6. Sebastian Bothe
   7. Martin Neuenschwander
   8. Carmen Villmann
   9. Jens Peter von Kries
   10. Hermann Schindelin
   11. Elisabeth Jeanclos
   12. Antje Gohla

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Following small molecule screens, this study provides convincing evidence that 7,8 dihydroxyflavone (DHF) is a competitive inhibitor of pyridoxal phosphatase. These results are important since they offer an alternative mechanism for the effects of 7,8 dihdroxyflavone in cognitive improvement in several mouse models. This paper is also significant due to the interest in the phosphatases and neurodegeneration fields.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. The delayed kinetics of Myddosome formation explains why amyloid-beta aggregates trigger Toll-like receptor 4 less efficiently than lipopolysaccharide

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Bing Li
   2. Prasanna Suresh
   3. Jack Brelstaff
   4. Shekhar Kedia
   5. Clare E Bryant
   6. David Klenerman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study uses a novel light sheet imaging technique to investigate how different TLR4 agonists regulate Myddosome formation. The data showing that LPS and A-beta can control the kinetics and size of Myddosome assembly are compelling. This paper should be of substantial interest to the innate immunity field.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Agent-based model demonstrates the impact of nonlinear, complex interactions between cytokines on muscle regeneration

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Megan Haase
   2. Tien Comlekoglu
   3. Alexa Petrucciani
   4. Shayn M Peirce
   5. Silvia S Blemker

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is so-far the most comprehensive, spatially resolved in 2D, dynamical, multicellular model of murine muscle regeneration after injury. The work is an attempt to combine many contributors to muscle regeneration into one coherent calibrated framework. The presented analysis is solid and the model has the potential to be a very valuable tool in the areas of tissue morphogenesis, regenerative therapies, quantitative modeling and simulation.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Deep learning insights into the architecture of the mammalian egg-sperm fusion synapse

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Arne Elofsson
   2. Ling Han
   3. Enrica Bianchi
   4. Gavin J Wright
   5. Luca Jovine

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study offers valuable insights into the structural architecture of the mammalian egg-sperm fusion synapse, shedding light on the role of specific proteins in fertilization. The significance of the findings lies in the potential identification of a pentameric complex involved in gamete fusion by AlphaFold Multimer. The strength of evidence for the approach/methodology is solid, while the experimental validation is incomplete in supporting these interactions. This work will be of interest to biomedical researchers working on fertility and reproductive health.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Dynamics of macrophage polarization support Salmonella persistence in a whole living organism

    This article has 13 authors:

    1. Jade Leiba
    2. Tamara Sipka
    3. Christina Begon-Pescia
    4. Matteo Bernardello
    5. Sofiane Tairi
    6. Lionello Bossi
    7. Anne-Alicia Gonzalez
    8. Xavier Mialhe
    9. Emilio J Gualda
    10. Pablo Loza-Alvarez
    11. Anne Blanc-Potard
    12. Georges Lutfalla
    13. Mai E Nguyen-Chi

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This useful study introduces the development of Salmonella infection model in zebrafish embryos as an important model to study the interaction between macrophages and Salmonella during in vivo infection. Overall, the data presented are convincing and provide an inventory of genes mediating macrophage cell-cell adhesion and interactions that are useful for dissecting tissue macrophage responses and heterogeneity during intracellular bacterial infection. This is important to characterize the infection outcome and the dynamics of the immune response. The work will be of interest to microbiologists.

    Reviewed by eLife