eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Ubiquitin ligase and signalling hub MYCBP2 is required for efficient EPHB2 tyrosine kinase receptor function

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Chao Chang
   2. Sara L Banerjee
   3. Sung Soon Park
   4. Xiao Lei Zhang
   5. David Cotnoir-White
   6. Karla J Opperman
   7. Muriel Desbois
   8. Brock Grill
   9. Artur Kania

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study identifies an Ephrin type-B Receptor 2 (EPHB2) interactor, MYCBP2, as a potential regulator of EPHB2 stability and function. In contrast to expectations, based on MYCBP2 function in the ubiquitin pathway, loss of function of MYCBP2 resulted in less EPHB2 receptor and defective EPHB2 function. The paper is supported by a largely convincing set of biochemical, cell culture and in vivo experiments.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Detection of new pioneer transcription factors as cell-type-specific nucleosome binders

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Yunhui Peng
   2. Wei Song
   3. Vladimir B Teif
   4. Ivan Ovcharenko
   5. David Landsman
   6. Anna R Panchenko

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study aims to identify pioneer transcription factors, which are defined as transcription factors that compete with nucleosomes for DNA binding. The authors provide methods for identifying pioneer transcription factors on a cell type basis, using nucleosome positioning and motif information across different cell lines. The evidence to support the claims is largely solid. This work will be of interest to computational and molecular biologists working on transcription factors.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Interface-acting nucleotide controls polymerization dynamics at microtubule plus- and minus-ends

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Lauren A McCormick
   2. Joseph M Cleary
   3. William O Hancock
   4. Luke M Rice

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study combines in vitro experiments with simulations to identify the mechanisms governing modulation of microtubule dynamics by GTP hydrolysis. The authors introduce a convincing new approach by using a mixed GDP/GMPCPP lattice and varying GDP concentration to reveal that the nucleotide at the interface of two tubulin dimers determines the strength of the interaction between two dimers. Overall, the findings will be of interest to biophysicists and cell biologists, especially in the field of microtubule biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Understanding disruptions in cancer care to reduce increased cancer burden

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Kia L Davis
   2. Nicole Ackermann
   3. Lisa M Klesges
   4. Nora Leahy
   5. Callie Walsh-Bailey
   6. Sarah Humble
   7. Bettina Drake
   8. Vetta L Sanders Thompson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The study presents patterns of cancer care disruption in southern Illinois and eastern Missouri in the summer of 2020. Survey results show factors that impact cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, including group differences by race. The important findings provide solid evidence about variation in cancer care disruptions and opportunities to improve return to care.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. A hierarchical model for external electrical control of an insect, accounting for inter-individual variation of muscle force properties

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Dai Owaki
   2. Volker Dürr
   3. Josef Schmitz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable work presents new results to characterize the relationship between electrical excitation and torque generation in stick insect joints. The evidence supporting this work is a series of torque-voltage measurements across individuals. The strength of evidence is solid in supporting the outcomes, but some details of the methodology, which could potentially shed light on the sources of this variation, are missing.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. ONC201/TIC10 enhances durability of mTOR inhibitor everolimus in metastatic ER+ breast cancer

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Elena Farmaki
   2. Aritro Nath
   3. Rena Emond
   4. Kimya L Karimi
   5. Vince K Grolmusz
   6. Patrick A Cosgrove
   7. Andrea H Bild

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding on the combination treatment of ONC201/TIC10 with everolimus for metastatic ER+ breast cancer. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid. The work will be of interest to medical biologists working on breast cancer.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Rodent ultrasonic vocal interaction resolved with millimeter precision using hybrid beamforming

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Max L Sterling
   2. Ruben Teunisse
   3. Bernhard Englitz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study demonstrates an important method that drastically improves the precision of ultrasound localization in interacting mice. The authors present convincing evidence of the usefulness of the method for quantifying vocal behavior in various situations and demonstrate an interesting vocal dominance phenomenon between males. This tool will be of great interest to all scientists interested in vocal behavior in small animals.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Discovery and characterization of a specific inhibitor of serine-threonine kinase cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) demonstrates role in hippocampal CA1 physiology

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Anna Castano
   2. Margaux Silvestre
   3. Carrow I Wells
   4. Jennifer L Sanderson
   5. Carla A Ferrer
   6. Han Wee Ong
   7. Yi Lang
   8. William Richardson
   9. Josie A Silvaroli
   10. Frances M Bashore
   11. Jeffery L Smith
   12. Isabelle M Genereux
   13. Kelvin Dempster
   14. David H Drewry
   15. Navlot S Pabla
   16. Alex N Bullock
   17. Tim A Benke
   18. Sila K Ultanir
   19. Alison D Axtman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reports selective CDKL5 inhibitors that may be of high interest to investigate the role of this kinase in disease (particularly, in CDKL5 deficiency disorder) and to address unsolved issues of inconsistency in the phenotypic characterization of CDKL5-deficient knockout mice. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with rigorous biochemical, in vitro and ex vivo assays. The work will be of interest to cell and medical biologists and epileptologists working in the fields of epilepsy and neural excitation.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Modeling resource allocation strategies for insecticide-treated bed nets to achieve malaria eradication

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Nora Schmit
   2. Hillary M Topazian
   3. Matteo Pianella
   4. Giovanni D Charles
   5. Peter Winskill
   6. Michael T White
   7. Katharina Hauck
   8. Azra C Ghani

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding on the optimal prioritization in different malaria transmission settings for the distribution of insecticide-treated nets to reduce the malaria burden. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid. The work will be of interest from a global funder perspective, though somewhat less relevant for individual countries.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. History information emerges in the cortex during learning

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Odeya Marmor
    2. Yael Pollak
    3. Chen Doron
    4. Fritjof Helmchen
    5. Ariel Gilad

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This is important work analyzing the trial-by-trial progression of learning, and how the outcome of one trial influences cortex-wide neural responses on the next trial. However, the evidence for the central claims is incomplete because the potential confounds of slow hemodynamic effects and behavioral changes induced by the previous trial were not adequately addressed.

    Reviewed by eLife