eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Spontaneous human CD8 T cell and autoimmune encephalomyelitis-induced CD4/CD8 T cell lesions in the brain and spinal cord of HLA-DRB1*15-positive multiple sclerosis humanized immune system mice

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Irini Papazian
   2. Maria Kourouvani
   3. Anastasia Dagkonaki
   4. Vasileios Gouzouasis
   5. Lila Dimitrakopoulou
   6. Nikolaos Markoglou
   7. Fotis Badounas
   8. Theodore Tselios
   9. Maria Anagnostouli
   10. Lesley Probert

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The humanized model of EAE represents a valuable model in which to evaluate mechanisms that may drive EAE-like processes in vivo. The data are solid given the revisions and expansion of numbers of mice to yield more statistical rigor. This model will be used by the greater community studying EAE.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Temporally resolved early bone morphogenetic protein-driven transcriptional cascade during human amnion specification

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Nikola Sekulovski
   2. Jenna C Wettstein
   3. Amber E Carleton
   4. Lauren N Juga
   5. Linnea E Taniguchi
   6. Xiaolong Ma
   7. Sridhar Rao
   8. Jenna K Schmidt
   9. Thaddeus G Golos
   10. Chien-Wei Lin
   11. Kenichiro Taniguchi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents an important dataset that captures the transition from epiblast to amnion using a novel in vitro model of human amnion formation. The supporting evidence for the authors' claims is convincing. Key strengths of the study include the efficiency and purity of the cell populations produced, a high degree of synchrony in the differentiation process, comprehensive benchmarking with single-cell data and immunocytochemistry from primate embryos, and the identification of critical markers for specific differentiation phases. A notable limitation, however, is the model's exclusion of other embryonic tissues.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Rapid cloning-free mutagenesis of new SARS-CoV-2 variants using a novel reverse genetics platform

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Enja Tatjana Kipfer
   2. David Hauser
   3. Martin J Lett
   4. Fabian Otte
   5. Lorena Urda
   6. Yuepeng Zhang
   7. Christopher MR Lang
   8. Mohamed Chami
   9. Christian Mittelholzer
   10. Thomas Klimkait

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study describes CLEVER, an improved method for fast and efficient rescue and mutagenesis of SARS-CoV2. While the principle of this method is not new, this work significantly improves upon existing protocols, providing an important advancement in the field of viral infectious clones. Convincing proof-of-concept experiments were performed that demonstrate the utility and efficiency of the method.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Dynamical mechanisms of growth-feedback effects on adaptive gene circuits

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Ling-Wei Kong
   2. Wenjia Shi
   3. Xiao-Jun Tian
   4. Ying-Cheng Lai

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The paper presents valuable computational findings on how growth feedback affects the performance of synthetic gene circuits designed for adaptive responses. By systematically analyzing over four hundred circuit topologies, the authors provide solid evidence for their conclusions on failure mechanisms and design features that enhance robustness against growth dynamics. While the study's significance and rigor are somewhat constrained by its reliance on previously published network topologies, these results are highly relevant for advancing the engineering of gene circuits in various applications.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Deep learning for rapid analysis of cell divisions in vivo during epithelial morphogenesis and repair

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Jake Turley
   2. Isaac V Chenchiah
   3. Paul Martin
   4. Tanniemola B Liverpool
   5. Helen Weavers

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this valuable study, the authors use deep learning models to provide solid evidence that epithelial wounding triggers bursts of cell division at a characteristic distance away from the wound. The documentation provided by the authors should allow other scientists to readily apply these methods, which are particularly appropriate where unsupervised machine-learning algorithms have difficulties.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Specific modulation of CRISPR transcriptional activators through RNA-sensing guide RNAs in mammalian cells and zebrafish embryos

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Oana Pelea
   2. Sarah Mayes
   3. Quentin RV Ferry
   4. Tudor A Fulga
   5. Tatjana Sauka-Spengler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors aim to develop a CRISPR system that can be activated upon sensing an RNA. As an initial step to this goal, they describe RNA-sensing guide RNAs for controlled activation of CRISPR modification. Many of the data look convincing and while several steps remain to achieve the stated goal in an in vivo setting and for robust activation by endogenous RNAs, the current work will be important for many in the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Unified bursting strategies in ectopic and endogenous even-skipped expression patterns

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Augusto Berrocal
   2. Nicholas C Lammers
   3. Hernan G Garcia
   4. Michael B Eisen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript is an important contribution toward understanding the mechanisms of transcriptional bursting. The evidence is considered solid. Questions regarding the broader advance, details of the analysis, and the models used in the analysis were addressed by the authors.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Optogenetic stimulation of single ganglion cells in the living primate fovea

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Peter J Murphy
   2. Juliette E McGregor
   3. Zhengyang Xu
   4. Qiang Yang
   5. William Merigan
   6. David R Williams

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper shows that it is possible to optogenetically activate single retinal ganglion cells in vivo in monkeys. This is an important step towards towards causal tests of the role of specific ganglion cell types in visual perception. The paper presents convincing evidence for the promise of the approach but further work will be needed to full explore its limitations and specificity.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Opposing chemosensory functions of closely related gustatory receptors

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Ji-Eun Ahn
   2. Hubert Amrein

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study focuses on the role of the Gr28 family of insect chemoreceptors. Using the Drosophila larva, the authors show that taste neurons expressing different members of this family of bitter taste receptors trigger opposite behavior – attraction and repulsion. They establish the minimal bitter taste receptor subunit composition needed in these neurons to mediate the repulsion of bitter tastants. The evidence presented is convincing, using well-validated and controlled tools and experiments.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Deciphering molecular heterogeneity and dynamics of human hippocampal neural stem cells at different ages and injury states

    This article has 17 authors:

    1. Junjun Yao
    2. Shaoxing Dai
    3. Ran Zhu
    4. Ju Tan
    5. Qiancheng Zhao
    6. Yu Yin
    7. Jiansen Sun
    8. Xuewei Du
    9. Longjiao Ge
    10. Jianhua Xu
    11. Chunli Hou
    12. Nan Li
    13. Jun Li
    14. Weizhi Ji
    15. Chuhong Zhu
    16. Runrui Zhang
    17. Tianqing Li

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      Using state-of-the-art single-nucleus RNA sequencing, Yao et al. investigate the transcriptomic features of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the human hippocampus to address how they vary across different age groups and stroke conditions. The authors report alterations in NSC subtype proportions and gene expression profiles after stroke. Although the study is valuable and the analysis is comprehensive, the significance is restricted by well-acknowledged technical limitations leading to incomplete evidence supporting some main conclusions.

    Reviewed by eLife