eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Preparatory attentional templates in prefrontal and sensory cortex encode target-associated information

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Zhiheng Zhou
   2. Joy J Geng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study decoded target-associated information in prefrontal and sensory cortex during the preparatory period of a visual search task, suggesting a memory-driven attentional template. The evidence supporting this claim is convincing, based on multivariate pattern analyses of fMRI data. The results will be of interest to psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Rapid rebalancing of co-tuned ensemble activity in the auditory cortex

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. HiJee Kang
   2. Travis A Babola
   3. Patrick O Kanold

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study uses all-optical electrophysiology methods to provide a valuable insight into the organization of cortical networks and their ability to balance the activity of groups of neurons with similar functional tuning. The all-optical approach used in this study is impressive, but the claim that the effects of optical stimulation correspond to a specific homeostatic mechanism are incompletely supported by the statistical analysis of the results. The work will be of interest to neurobiologists and to developers of optical approaches for interrogating brain function.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Global transcription factors analyses reveal hierarchy and synergism of regulatory networks and master virulence regulators in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Jiadai Huang
   2. Yue Sun
   3. Fang Chen
   4. Shumin Li
   5. Liangliang Han
   6. Jingwei Li
   7. Zhe He
   8. Canfeng Hua
   9. Chunyan Yao
   10. Tianmin Li
   11. Beifang Lu
   12. Yung-Fu Chang
   13. Xin Deng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides a valuable and comprehensive dataset on transcription factor binding in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, along with analyses of its regulatory network, key virulence and metabolic regulators, and a pangenomic examination of transcription factors. Utilizing large-scale ChIP-seq and multi-omics integration, the research convincingly supports the hierarchical regulatory structures and offers insights into virulence mechanisms. While further experimental validation is needed, this publicly accessible PATF_Net database enhances its utility for researchers investigating this significant pathogen associated with hospital infections and antibiotic resistance.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Birds migrate longitudinally in response to the resultant Asian monsoons of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Wenyuan Zhang
   2. Zhongru Gu
   3. Yangkang Chen
   4. Ran Zhang
   5. Xiangjiang Zhan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study addresses a novel and interesting question about how the rise of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau influenced patterns of bird migration, employing a multi-faceted approach that combines species distribution data with environmental modeling. The findings are valuable for understanding avian migration within a subfield, but the strength of evidence is incomplete due to critical methodological assumptions about historical species-environment correlations, limited tracking data, and insufficient clarity in species selection criteria. Addressing these weaknesses would significantly enhance the reliability and interpretability of the results.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Wnt specifically induces FZD5/8 endocytosis and degradation and the involvement of RSPO-ZNRF3/RNF43 and DVL

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Dong Luo
   2. Jing Zheng
   3. Shuning Lv
   4. Ren Sheng
   5. Maorong Chen
   6. Xi He
   7. Xinjun Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents important findings demonstrating that FZD5 and FZD8, two of the ten Frizzled proteins, undergo Wnt-mediated endocytosis. The E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF43/ZNRF3 regulate their degradation in a Wnt-dependent manner, a mechanism that was not previously recognized. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid. This research will be of interest to biologists specializing in Wnt signaling, cancer, and regenerative medicine.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Cell membrane glycan contents are biochemical factors that constitute a kinetic barrier to viral particle uptake in a protein-nonspecific manner

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Yoshihisa Kaizuka
   2. Rika Machida

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental work substantially advances our understanding of how the glycocalyx of cells provide a non-specific barrier for the interaction of viruses with cell-surface receptors. Using both in vitro experiments and in vivo manipulations they provide solid evidence for the properties of the glycocalyx to serve as an energy barrier as a main attribute of its mode of action. The work will be of broad interest to virologists and the cell biology community that studies host-pathogen interactions.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Twelve phosphomimetic mutations induce the assembly of recombinant full-length human tau into paired helical filaments

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Sofia Lövestam
   2. Jane L Wagstaff
   3. Taxiarchis Katsinelos
   4. Stefan MV Freund
   5. Michel Goedert
   6. Sjors HW Scheres

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript describes the identification and characterization of 12 specific phosphomimetic mutations in the recombinant full-length human tau protein that trigger tau to form fibrils. This fundamental study will allow in vitro mechanistic investigations. The presented evidence is solid but a higher purity of these fibril types might be required for future studies. This manuscript will be of interest to all scientists in the amyloid formation field.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor influences periarticular joint inflammation in B. burgdorferi-infected mice

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Qian Yu
   2. Xiaotian Tang
   3. Thomas Hart
   4. Robert Homer
   5. Alexia A Belperron
   6. Linda K Bockenstedt
   7. Aaron Ring
   8. Akira Nakamura
   9. Erol Fikrig

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding on the role of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitors (SLPI) in developing Lyme disease in mice infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. The evidence supporting the authors' claims is solid. However, several concerns raised by the reviewers remain unaddressed. This paper would be of interest to scientists in the infectious inflammatory disease field.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Teichoic acids in the periplasm and cell envelope of Streptococcus pneumoniae

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Mai Nguyen
   2. Elda Bauda
   3. Célia Boyat
   4. Cédric Laguri
   5. Céline Freton
   6. Anne Chouquet
   7. Benoit Gallet
   8. Morgane Baudoin
   9. Yung-Sing Wong
   10. Christophe Grangeasse
   11. Christine Moriscot
   12. Claire Durmort
   13. André Zapun
   14. Cecile Morlot

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The bacterial cell wall is crucial to maintain viability. It has previously been suggested that Gram positive bacteria have a periplasmic region between the cell membrane and peptidoglycan cell wall that this is maintained by the presence of teichoic acids. In this valuable study, Nguyen et al. make clever use of electron microscopy and metabolic labelling to interrogate the role of teichoic acids in supporting the maintenance of the periplasmic region in Streptococcus pneumoniae. The findings are solid and close some crucial knowledge gaps whilst providing novel tools to further interrogate discrepancies in the field. This work will be of broad interest to microbiologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Interaction hierarchy among Cdv proteins drives recruitment to membrane necks

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Nicola De Franceschi
    2. Alberto Blanch-Jover
    3. Cees Dekker

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study investigates how the proteins of the Cdv division system in Metallosphaera sedula archaea sequentially interact with curved membranes in vitro, extending our understanding of this reduced ESCRT-like machinery. While the data support key aspects of protein recruitment and membrane remodeling, missing controls and statistical analysis information, unaddressed discrepancies, and limitations in recapitulating native geometry leave the data incomplete to fully support the proposed conclusions. The work will be of interest to evolutionary and synthetic biologists as membrane biophysicists but would benefit from additional experiments and a more cautious interpretation of results.

    Reviewed by eLife