eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. The molecular mechanism and evolutionary divergence of caspase 3/7-regulated gasdermin E activation

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Hang Xu
   2. Zihao Yuan
   3. Kunpeng Qin
   4. Shuai Jiang
   5. Li Sun

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study elucidates the molecular divergence of caspase 3 and 7 in the vertebrate lineage. Convincing biochemical and mutational data provide evidence that in humans, caspase 7 has lost the ability to cleave gasdermin E due to changes in a key residue, S234. The diversification and specialization of gasdermins such as gasdermin E in humans compared to early vertebrates such as teleosts may enable each human gasdermin molecule to have more restricted and tightly regulated physiological functions in different cell death pathways.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Apoptotic signaling clears engineered Salmonella in an organ-specific manner

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Taylor J Abele
   2. Zachary P Billman
   3. Lupeng Li
   4. Carissa K Harvest
   5. Alexia K Bryan
   6. Gabrielle R Magalski
   7. Joseph P Lopez
   8. Heather N Larson
   9. Xiao-Ming Yin
   10. Edward A Miao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Host cell death is an effective strategy to protect against infection, and is believed to function primarily by the elimination of the intracellular niche for pathogen replication. Abele and colleagues address an important question: does the mode of cell death affect its effectiveness in pathogen clearance? Consistent with prior observations, the authors provide compelling new evidence that the answer can depend on the cell type and/or tissue involved.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Negative cell cycle regulation by calcineurin is necessary for proper beta cell regeneration in zebrafish

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Laura Massoz
   2. David Bergemann
   3. Arnaud Lavergne
   4. Célia Reynders
   5. Caroline Désiront
   6. Chiara Goossens
   7. Lydie Flasse
   8. Bernard Peers
   9. Marianne M Voz
   10. Isabelle Manfroid

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work presents some valuable information regarding the molecular mechanisms controlling the regeneration of pancreatic beta cells following induced cell ablation in zebrafish. Specifically, the data suggest that Calcineurin is a regulator of beta cell regeneration. However, the study lacks the critical lineage tracing results to support the conclusion about the origin of the regenerated beta cells and thus is deemed incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Per-ischemic changes in penumbral blood supply and its microscopic distribution

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Nina K. Iversen
   2. Eugenio Gutierréz Jimenéz
   3. Peter Mondrup Rasmussen
   4. Hugo Angelys
   5. Irene Klærke Mikkelsen
   6. Tristan R. Hollyer
   7. Leif Østergaard

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript provides a useful characterization of penumbral microvascular flow disturbances over the first hours after ischemia onset in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. This work suggests that there are microscopic changes (including directionality of capillary blood flow and formation of capillary stalls) during the peri-ischemic timeframe but the data are incomplete and not sufficient to support the claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Transcriptomic atlas of midbrain dopamine neurons uncovers differential vulnerability in a Parkinsonism lesion model

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Behzad Yaghmaeian Salmani
   2. Laura Lahti
   3. Linda Gillberg
   4. Jesper Kjaer Jacobsen
   5. Ioannis Mantas
   6. Per Svenningsson
   7. Thomas Perlmann

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study investigated transcriptional profiles of midbrain dopamine neurons using single nucleus RNA (snRNA) sequencing. The authors found more nuanced subgroups of dopamine neurons than previous studies, and identified some genes that are preferentially expressed in subpopulations that are more vulnerable to neurochemical lesions using 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA). The results are convincing and provide critical information on the heterogeneity and vulnerability of dopamine neurons which will be a foundation for future studies.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Kit Ligand and Kit receptor tyrosine kinase sustain synaptic inhibition of Purkinje cells

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Tariq Zaman
   2. Daniel Vogt
   3. Jeremy Prokop
   4. Qusai Abdulkhaliq Alsabia
   5. Gabriel Simms
   6. April Stafford
   7. Bryan W Luikart
   8. Michael R Williams

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study from Zaman et al. demonstrates that the cKit-Kit ligand complex is necessary for the formation and/or maintenance of molecular layer interneuron synapses in cerebellar Purkinje cells. The evidence presented is convincing; in particular, the use of cell-type specific knockout of cKit in molecular layer interneurons and knockout of Kit ligand in Purkinje cells provides robust evidence. This work will be of particular relevance to those interested in inhibitory synapse formation or the role of inhibition in Purkinje cell behavior.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Basolateral amygdala oscillations enable fear learning in a biophysical model

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Anna Cattani
   2. Don B Arnold
   3. Michelle McCarthy
   4. Nancy Kopell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable modeling study explores how biophysical properties of different interneuron subtypes in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) enable production of oscillations that facilitate functions such as spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Simulated networks provide solid evidence that highlights the importance of interactions between interneurons for some forms of spike-timing dependent plasticity. This work will likely be of interest to investigators studying interactions among interneurons, rhythms in the amygdala, and mechanisms of plasticity thought to underlie associative learning.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Paradoxical imbalance between activated lymphocyte protein synthesis capacity and rapid division rate

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Mina O Seedhom
   2. Devin Dersh
   3. Jaroslav Holly
   4. Mariana Pavon-Eternod
   5. Jiajie Wei
   6. Matthew Angel
   7. Lucas Shores
   8. Alexandre David
   9. Jefferson Santos
   10. Heather Hickman
   11. Jonathan W Yewdell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study addresses how protein synthesis in activated lymphocytes keeps up with their rapid division, with important findings that are of significance to cell biologists and immunologists endeavouring to understand the 'economy' of the immune system. The work is supported by solid data. Because it proposes non-conventional mechanisms, the study sets the scene for further work in this area.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Evolutionary druggability for low-dimensional fitness landscapes toward new metrics for antimicrobial applications

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Rafael F Guerrero
   2. Tandin Dorji
   3. Ra'Mal M Harris
   4. Matthew D Shoulders
   5. C Brandon Ogbunugafor

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript introduces two valuable new metrics - "variant vulnerability" and "drug applicability" - that would be of use to identify candidate drugs for treating infections while considering longer-term, evolution-based treatment outcomes. Despite the intuitive appeal of the metrics and their potential, the study remains incomplete, as it fails to demonstrate the generality of the approach. The work could be improved by analysing a broader range of data in a systematic way and directly tying the metrics to outcomes, which would make it possible to better assess their impact and utility.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Suggestion of creatine as a new neurotransmitter by approaches ranging from chemical analysis and biochemistry to electrophysiology

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Xiling Bian
    2. Jiemin Zhu
    3. Xiaobo Jia
    4. Wenjun Liang
    5. Sihan Yu
    6. Zhiqiang Li
    7. Wenxia Zhang
    8. Yi Rao

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study presents valuable observations on a potential role of creatine (Cr) as a novel neurotransmitter. While the data provide compelling evidence that Cr is present in synaptic vesicles, the evidence that Cr is synaptically released and binds to a post-synaptic receptor is incomplete, as no receptor is described. With further evidence, these results will be of wide interest to the field of neuroscience.

    Reviewed by eLife