eLife

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1. Mobile barrier mechanisms for Na+-coupled symport in an MFS sugar transporter

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Parameswaran Hariharan
   2. Yuqi Shi
   3. Satoshi Katsube
   4. Katleen Willibal
   5. Nathan D Burrows
   6. Patrick Mitchell
   7. Amirhossein Bakhtiiari
   8. Samantha Stanfield
   9. Els Pardon
   10. H Ronald Kaback
   11. Ruibin Liang
   12. Jan Steyaert
   13. Rosa Viner
   14. Lan Guan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In an important study that will be of interest to the mechanistic membrane transport community, the authors capture the first cryo-EM structure of the inward facing melbiose transporter MelB, a well-studied model transporter from the major facilitator (MFS) superfamily. Cryo-EM experiments and supporting biophysical experiments provide solid evidence for transporter conformational changes.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. circHIPK3 nucleates IGF2BP2 and functions as a competing endogenous RNA

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Trine Line Hauge Okholm
   2. Andreas Bjerregaard Kamstrup
   3. Morten Muhlig Nielsen
   4. Anne Kruse Hollensen
   5. Mette Laugesen Graversgaard
   6. Matilde Helbo Sørensen
   7. Lasse Sommer Kristensen
   8. Søren Vang
   9. Samuel S Park
   10. Eugene Yeo
   11. Lars Dyrskjøt
   12. Jørgen Kjems
   13. Jakob Skou Pedersen
   14. Christian Kroun Damgaard

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work explores the role of one the most abundant circRNAs, circHIPK3, in bladder cancer cells, showing with convincing data that circHIPK3 depletion affects thousands of genes and that those downregulated (including STAT3) share an 11-mer motif with circHIPK3, corresponding to a binding site for IGF2BP2. The experiments demonstrate that circHIPK3 can compete with the downregulated mRNAs targets for IGF2BP2 binding and that IGF2BP2 depletion antagonizes the effect of circHIPK3 depletion by upregulating the genes containing the 11-mer. These important findings contribute to the growing recognition of the complexity of cancer signaling regulation and highlight the intricate interplay between circRNAs and protein-coding genes in tumorigenesis.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Structure and evolution of alanine/serine decarboxylases and the engineering of theanine production

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Hao Wang
   2. Biying Zhu
   3. Siming Qiao
   4. Chunxia Dong
   5. Xiaochun Wan
   6. Weimin Gong
   7. Zhaoliang Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study reports a comparative biochemical and structural analysis of two PLP decarboxylase enzymes from plants. The work is useful because of the potential application of these enzymes in industrial theanine production. The structure provides a solid basis for understanding substrate specificity but some aspects of the work are incomplete. The paper will be of interest to enzymologists studying PLP enzymes and those working on enzyme engineering in plants.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Proteolytic cleavage and inactivation of the TRMT1 tRNA modification enzyme by SARS-CoV-2 main protease

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Kejia Zhang
   2. Patrick Eldin
   3. Jessica H Ciesla
   4. Laurence Briant
   5. Jenna M Lentini
   6. Jillian Ramos
   7. Justin Cobb
   8. Joshua Munger
   9. Dragony Fu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript provides important insights into the degradation of the host tRNA modification enzyme TRMT1 by the SARS-CoV-2 protease Nsp5 (nonstructural protein 5 or MPro). The data convincingly support the main conclusions of the paper. These results will be of interest to virologists studying the alterations in tRNA modifications, host methyltransferases, and viral infections.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Diversity in Notch ligand-receptor signaling interactions

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Rachael Kuintzle
   2. Leah A Santat
   3. Michael B Elowitz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study significantly enhances our understanding of how various ligands and receptors interact within the Notch signaling pathway. By developing novel cell-based assay systems, the authors systematically analyzed the effects of different ligand-receptor combinations on pathway activation. The convincing data reveal intriguing and unexpected differences and provide a foundation for interpreting Notch signalling in both normal and disease-related contexts.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Basement membranes are crucial for proper olfactory placode shape, position and boundary with the brain, and for olfactory axon development

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Pénélope Tignard
   2. Karen Pottin
   3. Audrey Geeverding
   4. Mohamed Doulazmi
   5. Mélody Cabrera
   6. Coralie Fouquet
   7. Mathilde Liffran
   8. Jonathan Fouchard
   9. Marion Rosello
   10. Shahad Albadri
   11. Filippo Del Bene
   12. Alain Trembleau
   13. Marie Anne Breau

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study describes the function of Laminin y1-dependent basement membranes in development of the olfactory placode, including morphogenesis of the placode, boundary formation, and olfactory axonal pathfinding. The study uses elegant live imaging approaches and extensive quantitative analyses, combined with detailed mutant analyses to provide a compelling description of the role of Laminin in olfactory placode development. In addition to the contributions this study makes to understanding olfactory placode development, it will also be of broader interest to individuals studying extracellular matrix regulation of tissue morphogenesis, and neural development including neuronal pathfinding.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Foxp3 depends on Ikaros for control of regulatory T cell gene expression and function

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Rajan M Thomas
   2. Matthew C Pahl
   3. Liqing Wang
   4. Struan FA Grant
   5. Wayne W Hancock
   6. Andrew D Wells

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This comprehensive study provides valuable information on the cooperation of Ikaros with Foxp3 to establish and regulate a major portion of the epigenome and transcriptome of T-regulatory cells. While the data are compelling, the evidence that these features are solely intrinsic, independent of the micro-environment, could be strengthened.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Recognition and cleavage of human tRNA methyltransferase TRMT1 by the SARS-CoV-2 main protease

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Angel D'Oliviera
   2. Xuhang Dai
   3. Saba Mottaghinia
   4. Sophie Olson
   5. Evan P Geissler
   6. Lucie Etienne
   7. Yingkai Zhang
   8. Jeffrey S Mugridge

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript provides important structural insights into the recognition and degradation of the host tRNA methyltransferase TRMT1 by SARS-CoV-2 protease nsp5 (Mpro). The data provide compelling support for the main conclusions of the authors. These results will be of interest to researchers studying structures, substrate recognition and specificity of viral proteases and their action on cellular targets.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. A multi-hierarchical approach reveals d-serine as a hidden substrate of sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporters

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Pattama Wiriyasermkul
   2. Satomi Moriyama
   3. Masataka Suzuki
   4. Pornparn Kongpracha
   5. Nodoka Nakamae
   6. Saki Takeshita
   7. Yoko Tanaka
   8. Akina Matsuda
   9. Masaki Miyasaka
   10. Kenji Hamase
   11. Tomonori Kimura
   12. Masashi Mita
   13. Jumpei Sasabe
   14. Shushi Nagamori

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study shows compelling evidence that the less common D-serine stereoisomer is transported in the kidney by the neutral amino acid transporter ASCT2 and that it is a non-canonical substrate for sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter SMCTs. With a multi-hierarchical approach, this important study further shows that Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in the kidney causes a specific increment in renal reabsorption carried out, in part, by ASCT2.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Neural substrates of cold nociception in Drosophila larva

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Atit A Patel
    2. Albert Cardona
    3. Daniel N Cox

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study investigates neural circuits mediating motor responses to cold in Drosophila larvae. Using a combination of behavioral analysis, genetic manipulations, EM connectomics, and reporters of calcium activity, the authors provide solid evidence that specific sensory and central neurons are required for cold-induced body contraction. This paper may be of interest to neuroscientists interested in how nervous systems sense and respond to cold.

    Reviewed by eLife