eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Recurrent mutations drive the rapid evolution of pesticide resistance in the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Li-Jun Cao
   2. Jin-Cui Chen
   3. Joshua A Thia
   4. Thomas L Schmidt
   5. Richard Ffrench-Constant
   6. Lin-Xi Zhang
   7. Yu Yang
   8. Meng-Chu Yuan
   9. Jia-Yue Zhang
   10. Xiao-Yang Zhang
   11. Qiong Yang
   12. Ya-Jun Gong
   13. Hu Li
   14. Xuexin Chen
   15. Ary A Hoffmann
   16. Shu-Jun Wei

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides important insights into the evolution of pesticide resistance, demonstrating that resistance can arise rapidly and repeatedly, which complements prior work on parallel evolution across species. The combination of extensive temporal sampling in the field, experimental evolution, and genomics makes for compelling findings. The authors are to be commended for acknowledging the main limitations of their study in the Discussion. Framing the work in a broader context of resistance beyond arthropod pests would further increase the appeal of the study, which is of relevance for both agronomic practitioners and evolutionary biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Interleukin 10 controls the balance between tolerance, pathogen elimination and immunopathology in birds

   This article has 21 authors:

   1. Dominique Meunier
   2. Ricardo Corona-Torres
   3. Kay Boulton
   4. Zhiguang Wu
   5. Maeve Ballantyne
   6. Laura Glendinning
   7. Anum Ali Ahmad
   8. Dominika Borowska
   9. Lorna Taylor
   10. Lonneke Vervelde
   11. Jorge del Pozo
   12. Marili Vasilogianni
   13. José Jaramillo-Ortiz
   14. Gonzalo Sanchez-Arsuaga
   15. Androniki Psifidi
   16. Fiona Tomley
   17. Kellie A Watson
   18. Michael J McGrew
   19. Mark P Stevens
   20. Damer P Blake
   21. David A Hume

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     IL-10 balances protective and deleterious immune functions in mice and humans, but if IL-10 also controls avian intestinal homeostasis remains unclear. Generating genetic knockouts, Meunier et al. established that a complete lack of IL-10 strengthened immunity against enteric bacteria in chickens, while also aggravating infection-inflicted inflammatory tissue damage and dysbiosis upon parasite infection, but unlike mouse models, IL-10 deficiency did not provoke spontaneous colitis in chickens. The findings presented are valuable, and the strength of evidence is convincing. The observation may have implications for the livestock industry and additional studies involving genetic knockouts may further unravel conserved and distinct avian IL-10 controls.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Heritability of movie-evoked brain activity and connectivity

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. David C Gruskin
   2. Daniel J Vieira
   3. Jessica K Lee
   4. Gaurav H Patel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper addresses a valuable research question on the heritability of the brain's response to movie watching, given various parameters such as regional spatial hyperalignment and BOLD frequency bands. The topic of this paper would be of interest to fMRI methodological experts, and potentially to a broader cognitive neuroscience audience, and those with an interest in understanding the heritable sources of individual differences in brain function. However, the current findings provide incomplete support for the conclusions, since several key methodological concerns need to be addressed to ensure the validity of the analyses and results.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Ribosomal RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase I is regulated by premature termination of transcription

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Chaïma Azouzi
   2. Katrin Schwank
   3. Sophie Queille
   4. Marta Kwapisz
   5. Marion Aguirrebengoa
   6. Anthony Henras
   7. Simon Lebaron
   8. Herbert Tschochner
   9. Annick Lesne
   10. Frédéric Beckouët
   11. Olivier Gadal
   12. Christophe Dez

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript characterizes a mutated clone of RNA polymerase I in yeast, referred to as SuperPol, to understand the mechanisms of RNA polymerase I elongation and termination. The authors present solid evidence that SuperPol has higher processivity during transcription elongation than wild-type RNA polymerase I. Notably, the study provides evidence that the transcriptional pause of RNA polymerase I may be a therapeutic vulnerability in cancers. Overall, the characterization of this RNA pol I is important as it provides insights into the regulation of ribosomal RNA transcription and its potential application in cancer pharmacology.

     [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

   Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

5. microRNA-19b regulates proliferation & patterning in the avian forebrain

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Archita Mishra
   2. Suvimal Kumar Sindhu
   3. Niveda Udaykumar
   4. Jonaki Sen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides insights into a key question in comparative neuroanatomy and development. The authors provide evidence of the role for a particular micro-RNA in regulating the development of key transcription factors that control forebrain development. The study rests on clear but incomplete results.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. A computational pipeline to track chromatophores and analyze their dynamics

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Johann Ukrow
   2. Mathieu DM Renard
   3. Mahyar Moghimi
   4. Gilles Laurent

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The open-source software Chromas tracks and analyses cephalopod chromatophore dynamics. The software features a user-friendly interface alongside detailed instructions for its application, with compelling exemplary applications to two widely divergent cephalopod species, a squid and a cuttlefish, over time periods large enough to encompass new chromatophore development among existing ones. It demonstrates accurate tracking of the position and identity of each chromatophore. The software and methods outlined therein will become an important tool for scientists tracking dynamic signaling in animals.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Human RAP2A Homolog of the Drosophila Asymmetric Cell Division Regulator Rap2l Targets the Stemness of Glioblastoma Stem Cells

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Maribel Franco
   2. Ricardo Gargini
   3. Víctor M Barberá
   4. Miguel Saceda
   5. Ana Carmena

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study explores the role of RAP2A in asymmetric cell division (ACD) regulation in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), drawing parallels to Drosophila ACD mechanisms and proposing that an imbalance toward symmetric divisions drives tumor progression. While findings on RAP2A's role in GSC expansion are promising, the study is nevertheless incomplete. Limitations include the lack of comprehensive GBM subtype analysis, insufficient mechanistic validation, and reliance on neurosphere models without in vivo confirmation. Addressing those gaps is necessary to substantiate the study's claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Single-cell type analysis of wing premotor circuits in the ventral nerve cord of Drosophila melanogaster

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Erica Ehrhardt
   2. Samuel C Whitehead
   3. Shigehiro Namiki
   4. Ryo Minegishi
   5. Igor Siwanowicz
   6. Kai Feng
   7. Hideo Otsuna
   8. FlyLight Project Team
   9. Geoffrey W Meissner
   10. David Stern
   11. James W Truman
   12. David Shepherd
   13. Michael H Dickinson
   14. Kei Ito
   15. Barry J Dickson
   16. Itai Cohen
   17. Gwyneth M Card
   18. Wyatt Korff

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important resource paper presents a library of cell-type-specific genetic driver lines that label wing-related motor and premotor neurons in the ventral nerve cord of the fruit fly, Drosophila. The toolkit is systematically validated with compelling anatomical and behavioral evidence and will provide a resource for future studies of Drosophila flight and courtship.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Targeted and random mutagenesis of cassava brown streak disease susceptibility factors reveal molecular determinants of disease severity

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. ZJ Daniel Lin
   2. Myia K Stanton
   3. Gabriela L Hernandez
   4. Elizabeth J De Meyer
   5. Zachary von Behren
   6. Katherine Benza
   7. Helene Tiley
   8. Emerald Hood
   9. Greg Jensen
   10. Kerrigan B Gilbert
   11. James C Carrington
   12. Rebecca S Bart

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study shows that mutations in specific cassava genes can reduce infection by cassava brown streak viruses. The authors also identify a key amino acid change that may be significant in how the virus interacts with the plant, but its role is not yet confirmed. While the findings are promising for developing resistant cassava varieties, in the absence of testing a quadruple mutant and without more data on the critical importance of amino acid L5 in VPg-eIF4E interactions, the evidence for several of the major claims remains incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Esr1-Dependent Signaling and Transcriptional Maturation in the Medial Preoptic Area of the Hypothalamus Shapes the Development of Mating Behavior during Adolescence

    This article has 19 authors:

    1. Koichi Hashikawa
    2. Yoshiko Hashikawa
    3. Brandy Briones
    4. Kentaro Ishii
    5. Yuejia Liu
    6. Mark A Rossi
    7. Marcus L Basiri
    8. Jane Y Chen
    9. Omar R Ahmad
    10. Rishi V Mukundan
    11. Nathan L Johnston
    12. Rhiana C Simon
    13. James C Soetedjo
    14. Jason R Siputro
    15. Jenna A McHenry
    16. Richard D Palmiter
    17. David R Rubinow
    18. Larry S Zweifel
    19. Garret D Stuber

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      The authors test the hypothesis that gonadal steroid signaling influences the transcriptional development of specific neurons in the mPOA during adolescence, and that such adolescent development of the mPOA is necessary for mating behaviors. The findings are valuable and supported by convincing data. This work contributes new insight into hormone-sensitive transcriptional profiles within genetically defined neuron clusters in the mPOA during adolescence and will be of interest to systems and molecular neuroscientists and those interested in development, sex differences, and/or hormonal regulation.

    Reviewed by eLife