eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Objective assessment of visual attention in toddlerhood

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. E. Braithwaite
   2. V. Kyriakopoulou
   3. L. Mason
   4. A. Davidson
   5. N. Tusor
   6. N. Harper
   7. M. Earl
   8. S. Datoo-Partridge
   9. A. Young
   10. A. Chew
   11. S. Falconer
   12. Joseph V Hajnal
   13. M.H. Johnson
   14. C. Nosarti
   15. A.D. Edwards
   16. E.J.H. Jones

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study, based on a large-scale data set and established behavioural tasks, has the potential to provide a valuable contribution to the literature if the authors could combine and correlate their behavioural evaluations with neural data and/or clinical assessments. As a standalone dataset, however, the current study appears incomplete because it does not go beyond merely replicating existing findings in a large cohort of children. In order to elevate their study, the authors are encouraged to publish their full dataset and explore the relationship between behavioural and neural or clinical data.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Mechanical activation of TWIK-related potassium channel by nanoscopic movement and rapid second messenger signaling

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. E Nicholas Petersen
   2. Mahmud Arif Pavel
   3. Samuel S Hansen
   4. Manasa Gudheti
   5. Hao Wang
   6. Zixuan Yuan
   7. Keith R Murphy
   8. William Ja
   9. Heather A Ferris
   10. Erik Jorgensen
   11. Scott B Hansen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study poses a provocative mechanism of channel activation of the mechanically activated ion channel TREK-1. The data provide solid evidence that the application of shear to cells causes a redistribution of both TREK-1 and an associated enzyme, PhospholipaseD2 in the membrane that increases the enzyme activity. The work offers a new mechanism, but note that this is only one possible method of channel activation, and mechanisms independent of PLD2 are also probable.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Modulation of RNA processing genes during sleep-dependent memory

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Yongjun Li
   2. Nitin S Chouhan
   3. Shirley L Zhang
   4. Rebecca S Moore
   5. Sara B Noya
   6. Joy Shon
   7. Zhifeng Yue
   8. Amita Sehgal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The aim of this important study is to identify novel genes involved in sleep regulation and memory consolidation. It combines transcriptomic approaches following memory induction with measurements of sleep and memory to discover molecular pathways underlying these interlinked behaviors. The authors explore transcriptional changes in specific mushroom body neurons and suggest roles for two genes involved in RNA processing, Polr1F and Regnase-1, in the regulation of sleep and memory. Their findings offer convincing evidence that the expression of RNA processing genes is modulated during sleep-dependent memory, with Polr1F potentially contributing to increased sleep.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. The importance of individual beliefs in assessing treatment efficacy

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Luisa Fassi
   2. Shachar Hochman
   3. Zafiris J Daskalakis
   4. Daniel M Blumberger
   5. Roi Cohen Kadosh

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is an important report that has implications for both the brain stimulation field and beyond. The strength of evidence provided is quite convincing. The major strength of this work is the recognize the importance of participant expectation in brain stimulation studies.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Multisensory gaze stabilization in response to subchronic alteration of vestibular type I hair cells

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Louise Schenberg
   2. Aïda Palou
   3. François Simon
   4. Tess Bonnard
   5. Charles-Elliot Barton
   6. Desdemona Fricker
   7. Michele Tagliabue
   8. Jordi Llorens
   9. Mathieu Beraneck

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper provides a fundamental expansion of vestibular compensation into transient and partial dysfunction, as well as insights into the adaptation of visual reflexes in this process. The conclusions are convincingly supported with paired histological and behavioral measurements, which are additionally modeled for further interpretation. This work would be of interest to neuroscientists working in multisensory integration and recovery mechanisms.

   Reviewed by eLife, preLights

6. A mechanistic insight into sources of error of visual working memory in multiple sclerosis

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Ali Motahharynia
   2. Ahmad Pourmohammadi
   3. Armin Adibi
   4. Vahid Shaygannejad
   5. Fereshteh Ashtari
   6. Iman Adibi
   7. Mehdi Sanayei

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper provides valuable information regarding visuospatial working memory performance in patients with MS compared to healthy controls, using a relatively novel continuous measure of visual working memory. There are some weaknesses with the way the clinical groups were matched, but those limitations are acknowledged and the strength of evidence for the claims is otherwise convincing. The paper will be of interest to those working in the field of clinical neuroscience.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Tools and methods for high-throughput single-cell imaging with the mother machine

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Ryan Thiermann
   2. Michael Sandler
   3. Gursharan Ahir
   4. John T Sauls
   5. Jeremy Schroeder
   6. Steven Brown
   7. Guillaume Le Treut
   8. Fangwei Si
   9. Dongyang Li
   10. Jue D Wang
   11. Suckjoon Jun

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This article provides a review and test of image-analysis methods for bacteria growing in the 'mother-machine' microfluidic device, introducing also a new graphical user interface for the computational analysis of mother-machine movies based on the 'Napari' environment. The tool allows users to segment cells based on two previously published methods (classical image transformation and thresholding as well as UNet-based analysis), with solid evidence for their robust performance based on comparison with other methods and use of datasets from other labs. While it was difficult to assess the user-friendliness of the new GUI, it appears to be valuable and promising for the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Dynamic allosteric networks drive adenosine A1 receptor activation and G-protein coupling

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Miguel A Maria-Solano
   2. Sun Choi

   This article has been curated by 2 groups:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors describe the dynamics underlying allostery of the adenosine A1 receptor, providing valuable insights into the receptor's activation pathway. The enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations of available structural data, followed by network analysis, reveal transient conformational states and communication between functional regions. The authors carefully state the limitations of their work, including the restricted convergence of the free energy landscape and missing water-mediated hydrogen bond coordination. Collectively, they provide a convincing framework for advancing rational design strategies of specific modulators with desired modes of action.

     [Editors' note: this was originally reviewed and assessed by Biophysics Colab]

   • Curated by Biophysics Colab

     Evaluation statement (16 June 2023)

     Maria-Solano and Choi present the dynamics underlying allostery of the adenosine A1 receptor, providing valuable insights into the receptor's activation pathway. The enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations of available structural data, followed by network analysis, reveal transient conformational states and communication between functional regions. The authors carefully state the limitations of their work, including the restricted convergence of the free energy landscape and missing water-mediated hydrogen bond coordination. Collectively, the findings provide a convincing framework to advance rational design strategies of specific modulators with desired modes of action.

     Biophysics Colab considers this to be a convincing study and recommends it to scientists interested in the structural dynamics, allosteric pathway activations, and free energy landscapes of GPCRs.

     (This evaluation by Biophysics Colab refers to version 5 of this preprint, which has been revised in response to peer review of versions 3 and 4.)

   Reviewed by eLife, Biophysics Colab

9. Membrane contact sites regulate vacuolar fission via sphingolipid metabolism

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Kazuki Hanaoka
   2. Kensuke Nishikawa
   3. Atsuko Ikeda
   4. Philipp Schlarmann
   5. Saku Sasaki
   6. Sotaro Fujii
   7. Sayumi Yamashita
   8. Aya Nakaji
   9. Kouichi Funato

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript presents valuable findings that contribute to our understanding of how sphingolipids and membrane contact sites, formed by the tethering protein family tricalbins, are involved in regulating vacuolar morphology in S. cerevisiae. The evidence supporting the authors' claims is largely solid. While the reported correlation between sphingolipid levels and vacuole homeostasis is interesting and intriguing, more work is needed to thoroughly substantiate the proposed mechanism. This study will be of interest to cell biologists focusing on intracellular organization and lipid metabolism.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. DMRT1 is a testis-determining gene in rabbits and is also essential for female fertility

    This article has 11 authors:

    1. Emilie Dujardin
    2. Marjolaine André
    3. Aurélie Dewaele
    4. Béatrice Mandon-Pépin
    5. Francis Poulat
    6. Anne Frambourg
    7. Dominique Thépot
    8. Luc Jouneau
    9. Geneviève Jolivet
    10. Eric Pailhoux
    11. Maëlle Pannetier

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      In this important study, the rabbit was used as a non-rodent mammalian model to show that DMRT1 has a testicular promoting function as it does in humans. The experiments are meticulous and compelling, and the arguments are clear and convincing. These results may explain the gonadal dysgenesis associated with mutations in human DMRT1 and highlight the need for mammalian models other than mice to better understand the process of gonadal sex determination in humans.

    Reviewed by eLife