eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Chromatin activity of IκBα mediates the exit from naïve pluripotency

   This article has 20 authors:

   1. Luis G Palma
   2. Daniel Álvarez-Villanueva
   3. María Maqueda
   4. Mercedes Barrero
   5. Arnau Iglesias
   6. Joan Bertran
   7. Damiana Álvarez-Errico
   8. Carlos A García-Prieto
   9. Cecilia Ballaré
   10. Virginia Rodriguez-Cortez
   11. Clara Bueno
   12. August Vidal
   13. Alberto Villanueva
   14. Pablo Menéndez
   15. Gregoire Stik
   16. Luciano Di Croce
   17. Bernhard Payer
   18. Manel Esteller
   19. Lluís Espinosa
   20. Anna Bigas

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study reveals a role for IκBα in the regulation of embryonic stem cell pluripotency. The solid data in mouse embryonic stem cells include separation of function mutations in IκBα to dissect its non-canonical role as a chromatin regulator and its canonical function as NF-κB inhibitor. The conclusions could be strengthened by including better markers of differentiation status and additional controls or orthogonal approaches.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Human eIF2A has a minimal role in translation initiation and in uORF-mediated translational control in HeLa cells

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Aurelio A Teleman
   2. Mykola Roiuk
   3. Marilena Neff

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, Roiuk et al employed a combination of ribosome profiling and reporter assays to provide convincing evidence that eIF2A is not involved in translational regulation in cultured human cells. In conjunction with several recent publications (spanning yeast to mammalian systems), these findings disaffirm the previously proposed role of eIF2A in directing protein synthesis, including its implication in translational reprogramming under stress. Whilst clearly delinating something eIF2A does not do, identifying cellular role(s) for eIF2A could further strengthen this article.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Blocking SHP2 benefits FGFR2 inhibitor and overcomes its resistance in FGFR2-amplified gastric cancer

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Yue Zhang
   2. Hanbing Wang
   3. Yutao Wei
   4. Yunfeng Pan
   5. Xueru Song
   6. Tao Shi
   7. Jie Shao
   8. Lixia Yu
   9. Baorui Liu
   10. Yue Wang
   11. Jia Wei

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Based on the perceived low efficacy of current therapies targeted to FGFR2 in gastric cancer (GC), the authors investigate an approach which combines SHP2 inhibition with existing FGFR2 inhibitors. The data were largely collected and analysed using solid and validated methodology. There is some useful data regarding combination therapy in a new clinical cohort, which supports previous studies that have reported the potential of targeting RTKs together with phosphatases.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Membrane mimetic thermal proteome profiling (MM-TPP) towards mapping membrane protein-ligand dynamics

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Rupinder Singh Jandu
   2. Mohammed Al-Seragi
   3. Hiroyuki Aoki
   4. Mohan Babu
   5. Franck Duong van Hoa

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study introduces the peptidisc-TPP approach as a promising solution to challenges in membrane proteomics, enabling thermal proteome profiling in a detergent-free system. While the concept is innovative and holds significant potential, the demonstration of its utility and validation remains incomplete. The method presents a strong foundation for broader applications in identifying physiologically and pharmacologically relevant membrane protein-ligand interactions.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Functionally important residues from graph analysis of coevolved dynamic couplings

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Manming Xu
   2. Sarath Chandra Dantu
   3. James A Garnett
   4. Robert A Bonomo
   5. Alessandro Pandini
   6. Shozeb Haider

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper reports the analysis of coevolutionary patterns and dynamical information for identifying functionally relevant sites. These findings are considered important due to the broad utility of the unified framework and network analysis capable of revealing communities of key residues that go beyond the residue-pair concept. The data are solid and the results are clearly presented.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Mettl5 coordinates protein production and degradation of PERIOD to regulate sleep in Drosophila

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Xiaoyu Wu
   2. Xingzhuo Yang
   3. Tiantian Fu
   4. Yikang S Rong
   5. Juan Du

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this manuscript, the authors present useful findings demonstrating that the RNA modification enzyme Mettl5 regulates sleep in Drosophila. Through transcriptome- and proteome-wide analyses, the authors identified downstream targets affected in heterozygous mutants and proposed that Mettl5 regulates the translation and degradation of clock genes to maintain normal sleep function. However, the mechanisms by which Mettl5 achieves these functions, and whether they are direct or indirect, remain incomplete and would benefit from further analysis.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Mutations that prevent phosphorylation of the BMP4 prodomain impair proteolytic maturation of homodimers leading to lethality in mice

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Hyung-seok Kim
   2. Mary L Sanchez
   3. Joshua Silva
   4. Heidi L Schubert
   5. Rebecca Dennis
   6. Christopher P Hill
   7. Jan L Christian

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental work presents two clinically relevant BMP4 mutations that contribute to vertebrate development. The compelling evidence, both from wet lab and AI generated predictions, supports that the site-specific cleavage at the BMP4 pro-domain precisely regulates its function and provides mechanistic insight how homodimers and heterodimers behave differently. The work will be of board interest to researchers working on growth factor signaling mechanisms and vertebrate development.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Simultaneous polyclonal antibody sequencing and epitope mapping by cryo electron microscopy and mass spectrometry

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Douwe Schulte
   2. Marta Šiborová
   3. Lukas Käll
   4. Joost Snijder

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The paper addresses the problem of optimising the mapping of serum antibody responses against a known antigen. The manuscript describes a method using EM polyclonal epitope mapping to help elucidate endogenous antibodies. The work is interesting and valuable to the fields of immunology and serology, and the strength of evidence to support its findings is considered solid.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Engineering cardiolipin binding to an artificial membrane protein reveals determinants for lipid-mediated stabilization

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Mia L Abramsson
   2. Robin A Corey
   3. Jan L Skerle
   4. Louise J Persson
   5. Olivia Anden
   6. Abraham O Oluwole
   7. Rebecca J Howard
   8. Erik Lindahl
   9. Carol V Robinson
   10. Kvido Strisovsky
   11. Erik G Marklund
   12. David Drew
   13. Phillip J Stansfeld
   14. Michael Landreh

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Cardiolipin is known to play an important role in modulating the assembly and function of membrane proteins in bacterial and mitochondrial membranes. Here, authors convincingly define the molecular determinants of cardiolipin binding on de novo-designed and native membrane proteins combining the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation with the state-of-the-art experimental approaches such as native mass spectrometry and cryogenic electron microscopy. The major findings in this study, which are the identification of degenerate cardiolipin binding motifs, the characterization of their dynamic features, and the role in membrane protein stability and activity, will provide much needed insight into the still poorly understood nature of protein-cardiolipin interactions.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Wag31, a membrane tether, is crucial for lipid homeostasis in mycobacteria

    This article has 10 authors:

    1. Yogita Kapoor
    2. Himani Khurana
    3. Debatri Dutta
    4. Arnab Chakraborty
    5. Anshu Priya
    6. Archana Singh
    7. Siddhesh S Kamat
    8. Neeraj Dhar
    9. Thomas J Pucadyil
    10. Vinay Kumar Nandicoori

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      Understanding bacterial growth mechanisms potentially uncover novel drug targets which are crucial for maintaining cellular viability, particularly for bacterial pathogens. In this important study, Kapoor et al, investigate the role of Wag31 in lipid and peptidoglycan biosynthesis in mycobacteria. A detailed analysis of Wag31 domain architecture revealed a role in membrane tethering. More specifically, the N-terminal and C-terminal domains appeared to have distinct functional roles. The data presented are solid and support the conclusion made. This study will be of broad interest to microbiologists and molecular biologists.

    Reviewed by eLife