eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. PfMORC protein regulates chromatin accessibility and transcriptional repression in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Zeinab M Chahine
   2. Mohit Gupta
   3. Todd Lenz
   4. Thomas Hollin
   5. Steven Abel
   6. Charles Banks
   7. Anita Saraf
   8. Jacques Prudhomme
   9. Suhani Bhanvadia
   10. Laurence A Florens
   11. Karine G Le Roch

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study examines the role of Microrchidia (MORC) proteins in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Solid experimental results, including genome editing and chromatin profiling methods (ChIP-seq and Hi-C), provide a comprehensive picture of the critical role MORC plays in shaping parasite chromatin. Depletion of MORC results in a lethal collapse of heterochromatin and parasite death, nominating the factor as a new target of antimalarial therapies.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. The exocyst complex controls multiple events in the pathway of regulated exocytosis

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Sofía Suárez Freire
   2. Sebastián Perez-Pandolfo
   3. Sabrina Micaela Fresco
   4. Julián Valinoti
   5. Eleonora Sorianello
   6. Pablo Wappner
   7. Mariana Melani

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study makes an important contribution by characterizing the role of the exocyst in secretory granule exocytosis in the Drosophila larval salivary gland. The results are solid and lead to the novel interpretation that the exocyst participates not only in exocytosis, but also in earlier steps of secretory granule biogenesis and maturation. However, the authors are urged to provide additional proof that the exocyst subunit knockdowns were effective and to acknowledge the possibility that inactivation of an essential exocytosis component could indirectly affect other parts of the secretory pathway.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Higher ratio of plasma omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is associated with greater risk of all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality: A population-based cohort study in UK Biobank

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Yuchen Zhang
   2. Yitang Sun
   3. Qi Yu
   4. Suhang Song
   5. J Thomas Brenna
   6. Ye Shen
   7. Kaixiong Ye

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The manuscript provides convincing evidence that both circulating omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs are associated with lower all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality in the UK BioBank population and that omega-3s have a stronger effect than omega-6s. The findings have important public health implications.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Quantification of sporozoite expelling by Anopheles mosquitoes infected with laboratory and naturally circulating P. falciparum gametocytes

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Chiara Andolina
   2. Wouter Graumans
   3. Moussa Guelbeogo
   4. Geert-Jan van Gemert
   5. Jordache Ramijth
   6. Soré Harouna
   7. Zongo Soumanaba
   8. Rianne Stoter
   9. Marga Vegte-Bolmer
   10. Martina Pangos
   11. Photini Sinnis
   12. Katharine Collins
   13. Sarah G Staedke
   14. Alfred B Tiono
   15. Chris Drakeley
   16. Kjerstin Lanke
   17. Teun Bousema

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study combines experimental infections with laboratory and field Plasmodium falciparum isolates to quantify the force of human malaria parasite transmission. By using compelling methodological approaches, the authors establish clear positive correlations between mosquito infection levels (as determined by oocyst numbers), sporozoite loads in salivary glands, and sporozoites expelled during feeding. The link between heterogenous infection levels in the mosquitoes and malaria transmission would be of interest to vector biologists, parasitologists, immunologists, and mathematical modellers.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Highly sensitive in vivo detection of dynamic changes in enkephalins following acute stress in mice

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Marwa O Mikati
   2. Petra Erdmann-Gilmore
   3. Rose Connors
   4. Sineadh M Conway
   5. Jim Malone
   6. Justin Woods
   7. Robert W Sprung
   8. Reid R Townsend
   9. Ream Al-Hasani

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors adapt a previously-established method that permits detection of in vivo extracellular levels of two distinct enkephalin opioid peptides in response to stressful experiences in mice. The present study highlights the potential of measuring actual peptides by microdialysis-LC-MS. They use this approach in conjunction with fiber photometric calcium imaging to correlate enkephalin neuron activity and enkephalin release in response to repeated stress, providing convincing evidence that this improved approach can provide new insights into opioid signaling in-vivo. This important study provides a means to understand various behavioral states controlled by endogenous opioids and the nucleus accumbens, including hedonic and stress responses, in health and disease. This work will be of broad interest to the neuroscientific community.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Strong isolation by distance and evidence of population microstructure reflect ongoing Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Zanzibar

   This article has 23 authors:

   1. Sean V Connelly
   2. Nicholas F Brazeau
   3. Mwinyi Msellem
   4. Billy E Ngasala
   5. Ozkan Aydemir
   6. Varun Goel
   7. Karamoko Niaré
   8. David J Giesbrecht
   9. Zachary R Popkin-Hall
   10. Chris Hennelly
   11. Zackary Park
   12. Ann M Moormann
   13. John M Ong'echa
   14. Robert Verity
   15. Safia Mohammed
   16. Shija J Shija
   17. Lwidiko E Mhamilawa
   18. Ulrika Morris
   19. Andreas Mårtensson
   20. Jessica T Lin
   21. Anders Björkman
   22. Jonathan J Juliano
   23. Jeffrey A Bailey

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Connelly and colleagues provide convincing genetic evidence that importation from mainland Tanzania is a major source of Plasmodium falciparum lineages currently circulating in Zanzibar. This study also reveals ongoing local malaria transmission and occasional near-clonal outbreaks in Zanzibar. Overall, the manuscript effectively highlights the role of human movements in maintaining residual malaria transmission in an area targeted for intensive control interventions over the past decades and provides clear and valuable information for epidemiologists and public health professionals.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Novel cyclic homogeneous oscillation detection method for high accuracy and specific characterization of neural dynamics

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Hohyun Cho
   2. Markus Adamek
   3. Jon T Willie
   4. Peter Brunner

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Building on previous toolboxes to distinguish 1/f noise from oscillatory activity, this study introduces an important advancement in neural signal analysis to identify oscillatory activity in electrophysiological data that refines the accuracy of identifying non-sinusoidal neural oscillations. Extensive validation, using synthetic and various empirical data, provides convincing evidence for the accuracy of the method and outlines practical implications for relevant scientific problems in the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Effects of nicotine compared to placebo gum on sensitivity to pain and mediating effects of peak alpha frequency

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Samantha K Millard
   2. Alan KI Chiang
   3. Peter Humburg
   4. Nahian Chowdhury
   5. Raafay Rehan
   6. Andrew J Furman
   7. Ali Mazaheri
   8. Siobhan M Schabrun
   9. David A Seminowicz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this useful study, Millard et al. assessed the effects of nicotine on pain sensitivity and peak alpha frequency (PAF). The evidence shown is incomplete to support the key claim that nicotine modulates PAF or pain sensitivity, considering the effect sizes observed. This raises the question of whether the chosen experimental intervention was the most suitable approach for investigating their research question. Nonetheless, the work can be incorporated into the literature investigating the relationship between nicotine and pain, and could be of broad interest to pain researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Physiological roles of endocytosis and presynaptic scaffold in vesicle replenishment at fast and slow central synapses

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Satyajit Mahapatra
   2. Tomoyuki Takahashi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Following synaptic vesicle fusion events at release sites, vesicle remnants will need to be cleared in order to allow new rounds of vesicle docking and fusion. This fundamental study of Mahapatra and Takahashi examines the role of release site clearance in synaptic transmission during repetitive activity in two types of central synapses, the giant calyx of Held and hippocampal CA1 synapses. The study uses pharmacological approaches to interfere with release site clearance by blocking membrane retrieval (endocytosis). The results also show how pharmacological inhibition of scaffold proteins affects short-term plasticity. The data presented make a compelling case for fast endocytosis as necessary for rapid site clearance and vesicle recruitment to active zones. The data reveal an unexpected, fast role for local site clearance in counteracting synaptic depression.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. ThermoMaze behavioral paradigm for assessing immobility-related brain events in rodents

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Mihály Vöröslakos
    2. Yunchang Zhang
    3. Kathryn McClain
    4. Roman Huszár
    5. Aryeh Rothstein
    6. György Buzsáki

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      The ThermoMaze represents a valuable tool to control the rest/exploration states of an animal. The data, collected and analyzed using solid and validated methodology, demonstrate its use in addressing previously elusive questions. This will facilitate future work with more in-depth analysis of place cell activity to further support for some of the claims.

    Reviewed by eLife