Latest preprint reviews

1. Cellular coordination underpins rapid reversals in gliding filamentous cyanobacteria and its loss results in plectonemes

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Jerko Rosko
   2. Kelsey Cremin
   3. Emanuele Locatelli
   4. Mary Coates
   5. Sarah JN Duxbury
   6. Kieran Randall
   7. Katie Croft
   8. Chantal Valeriani
   9. Marco Polin
   10. Orkun S Soyer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Using microscopy experiments and theoretical modelling, the authors present convincing evidence of cellular coordination in the gliding filamentous cyanobacterium Fluctiforma draycotensis. The results are important for the understanding of cyanobacterial motility and the underlying molecular and mechanical pathways of cellular coordination.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Unraveling the Role of Ctla-4 in Intestinal Immune Homeostasis: Insights from a novel Zebrafish Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Lulu Qin
   2. Chongbin Hu
   3. Qiong Zhao
   4. Yong Wang
   5. Dongdong Fan
   6. Aifu Lin
   7. Lixin Xiang
   8. Ye Chen
   9. Jianzhong Shao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study focuses on the role of a T-cell-specific receptor, ctla-4, in a new zebrafish model of IBD-like phenotype. Although implicated in IBD diseases, the function of ctla-4 has been hard to study in mice as the KO is lethal. Ctla-4 mutant zebrafish exhibited significant intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis, mirroring the pathology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mammals, providing a new valuable model to the field of IBD research. However, although many of the results are solid, the methods as provided are incomplete, without information on methods for many data panels.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Brochosomes as an antireflective camouflage coating for leafhoppers

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Wei Wu
   2. Qianzhuo Mao
   3. Zhuangxin Ye
   4. Zhenfeng Liao
   5. Hong-Wei Shan
   6. Jun-Min Li
   7. Chuan-Xi Zhang
   8. Jian-Ping Chen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Leafhoppers coat their body surface with nanoparticles, called brochosomes, which are an evolutionary innovation in this insect clade. The important paper adds significant evidence for the biological role of these structures consisting of a reflection effect of UV light as a defense against predatory spiders. Convincing support is provided for a new functional aspect of brochosomes, elucidating the emergence of the underlying genes and the principles of self-assembly of these biological nanoparticles.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Expression of a single inhibitory member of the Ly49 receptor family is sufficient to license NK cells for effector functions

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Sytse J Piersma
   2. Shasha Li
   3. Pamela Wong
   4. Michael D Bern
   5. Jennifer Poursine-Laurent
   6. Liping Yang
   7. Diana L Beckman
   8. Bijal A Parikh
   9. Wayne M Yokoyama

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study presents compelling evidence that a single member of the Ly49 gene family (Ly49a) provides sufficient inhibitory signaling to license NK cell activity when its H-2Dd ligand is present. There is also convincing evidence of the effect of Ly49a expression on in vitro killing and IFNgamma production. The use of the authors' system to investigate additional Ly49 receptors, such as Ly49c/i on the H2b background, could provide information on their relative contribution to NK cell licensing. Improvements to the presentation with respect to figure clarity and terminology would allow a better understanding of this complex system by non-experts.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Short heat shock factor A2 confers heat sensitivity in Arabidopsis: Insights into heat resistance and growth balance

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Wanxia Chen
   2. Jiaqi Zhao
   3. Zhanxia Tao
   4. Shan Zhang
   5. Xiujuan Bei
   6. Wen Lu
   7. Xiaoting Qi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper reports a novel mechanism of regulation of the heat shock response in plants that acts as a brake to prevent hyperactivation of the stress response. The findings are valuable to understand and potentially manipulate the plant's response to heat stress and the presented evidence is overall solid. However, in some cases, the data are either poorly presented or insufficient to support the primary claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Confirmation of HLA-II associations with TB susceptibility in admixed African samples

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Dayna Croock
   2. Yolandi Swart
   3. Haiko Schurz
   4. Desiree C Petersen
   5. Marlo Möller
   6. Caitlin Uren

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study confirms the association between the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-II region and tuberculosis (TB) susceptibility in genetically admixed South African populations, specifically identifying a near-genome-wide significant association in the HLA-DPB1 gene, which originates from KhoeSan ancestry. Whilst some of the evidence supporting the association between the HLA-II region and TB susceptibility is solid, the analysis is incomplete and requires further work for the study to achieve its full value. The work will be of interest to those studying the genetic basis of tuberculosis susceptibility/infection resistance.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Targeted anticancer pre-vinylsulfone covalent inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase IX

   This article has 22 authors:

   1. Aivaras Vaškevičius
   2. Denis Baronas
   3. Janis Leitans
   4. Agnė Kvietkauskaitė
   5. Audronė Rukšėnaitė
   6. Elena Manakova
   7. Zigmantas Toleikis
   8. Algirdas Kaupinis
   9. Andris Kazaks
   10. Marius Gedgaudas
   11. Aurelija Mickevičiūtė
   12. Vaida Juozapaitienė
   13. Helgi B Schiöth
   14. Kristaps Jaudzems
   15. Mindaugas Valius
   16. Kaspars Tars
   17. Saulius Gražulis
   18. Franz-Josef Meyer-Almes
   19. Jurgita Matulienė
   20. Asta Zubrienė
   21. Virginija Dudutienė
   22. Daumantas Matulis

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper reports the synthesis of covalent inhibitors bearing a unique fragment as a protected covalent warhead for irreversible binding to histidine in carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes. These findings are important due to the broad utility of the approach for covalent drug discovery applications and could have long-term impacts on related covalent targeting approaches. The data convincingly support the main conclusions of the paper.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Establishing comprehensive quaternary structural proteomes from genome sequence

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Edward Alexander Catoiu
   2. Nathan Mih
   3. Maxwell Lu
   4. Bernhard Palsson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents an important platform for mapping mutation effects onto higher-level protein structural information, addressing a significant gap in current research. While the work is ambitious and incorporates often-overlooked aspects of higher-order structure, the strength of the evidence supporting some results seems incomplete. The quaternary structure modeling appears to underestimate oligomeric proteins compared to previous studies, and the mutation analysis lacks crucial baseline information. Despite these limitations, the method has potential for broader applications and generalization to additional organisms, warranting further development and refinement.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Dual-modal metabolic analysis reveals hypothermia-reversible uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation in neonatal brain hypoxia-ischemia

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Naidi Sun
   2. Yu-Yo Sun
   3. Rui Cao
   4. Hong-Ru Chen
   5. Yiming Wang
   6. Elizabeth Fugate
   7. Marchelle R Smucker
   8. Yi-Min Kuo
   9. P Ellen Grant
   10. Diana M Lindquist
   11. Chia-Yi Kuan
   12. Song Hu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reveals a novel mechanism by which hypoxia-ischemia damages the neonatal brain and how hypothermia protects from brain injury. The paper presents an interesting combination of state-of-the-art optical measurements, mitochondrial assays, and the use of various control experiments providing solid evidence for the derived conclusions. Reviewers caution that possible adverse effects of prolonged anesthesia, as well as pain and stress after a major surgical procedure might influence the outcomes and should be carefully considered. This work will be of interest to the fields of hypoxia and brain metabolism research.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Impact of liver specific survival motor neuron (SMN) depletion on peripheral and central nervous system tissue pathology

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Monique Marylin Alves de Almeida
    2. Yves De Repentigny
    3. Sabrina Gagnon
    4. Emma R Sutton
    5. Rashmi Kothary

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This work presents a valuable mouse model for a liver-specific depletion of the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein, where the liver retains 30% of functional full-length SMN protein. The authors provide a profile of phenotypic changes in liver-specific SMN depleted mice: while evidence supporting their claims are generally solid, the phenotype is mild and mechanistic understanding remains to be determined.

    Reviewed by eLife