eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. A three-dimensional immunofluorescence atlas of the brain of the hackled-orb weaver spider, Uloborus diversus

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Gregory Artiushin
   2. Abel Corver
   3. Andrew Gordus

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides a 3D standardised anatomical atlas of the brain of an orb-weaving spider. The authors describe the brain's shape and its inner compartments-the neuropils-and add information on the distribution of a number of neuroactive substances such as neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Through the use of histological and microscopy methods the authors provide a more complete view of an arachnid brain than previous studies and also presents convincing evidence about the organisation and homology of brain regions. The work will serve as a reference for future studies on spider brains and will enables comparisons of brain regions with insects so that the evolution of these structures can be inferred across arthropods.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Enhanced Tactile Coding in Rat Neocortex Under Darkness

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Kotaro Yamashiro
   2. Shiyori Tanaka
   3. Nobuyoshi Matsumoto
   4. Yuji Ikegaya

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents useful findings on how the transient absence of visual input (i.e., darkness) affects tactile neural encoding in the somatosensory cortex. The evidence supporting the authors' claims is incomplete, as key conclusions rely on subtle differences in surface roughness discriminability between sensory conditions, whose physiological underpinnings remain unclear. Potential methodological confounds are also not fully addressed. With additional analyses and methodological clarifications, this work could substantially inform neuroscientists studying cross-modal interactions.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Single-mRNA imaging and modeling reveal coupled translation initiation and elongation rates

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Irene Lamberti
   2. Jeffrey A Chao
   3. Cédric Gobet
   4. Felix Naef

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides evidence for dynamic coupling between translation initiation and elongation that can help maintain low ribosome density and translational homeostasis. The authors combine single-molecule imaging with a new approach to analyze mRNA translation kinetics using Bayesian modeling. This work is overall solid, but certain key aspects and model assumptions could be strengthened.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. A Conserved Mycobacterial Nucleomodulin Hijacks the Host COMPASS Complex to Reprogram Pro-Inflammatory Transcription and Promote Intracellular Survival

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Liu Chen
   2. Baojie Duan
   3. Pingping Chen
   4. Qiang Jiang
   5. Yifan Wang
   6. Lu Lu
   7. Yingyu Chen
   8. Changmin Hu
   9. Lei Zhang
   10. Aizhen Guo

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study provides solid evidence that MgdE, a conserved mycobacterial nucleomodulin, downregulates inflammatory gene transcription by interacting with the histone methyltransferase COMPASS complex and altering histone H3 lysine methylation. There are areas where the evidence could be strengthened, for example, GFP immunoblotting and examining MgdE localization during infection. To enhance impact, the authors could consider Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection experiments and/or reworking the manuscript to emphasize general relevance to microbiologists and cell biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Efficiency and localisation of AURKA degradation by PROTACs is modulated by deubiquitinases UCHL5 and target-selective OTUD6A

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Annabel Cardno
   2. Karen Roberts
   3. Catherine Lindon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study describes a genetic screen to identify deubiquitinases (DUBs) that counteract the activity of small-molecule degraders (PROTACs). The presented data are valuable, identifying OTUD6A and UCHL5 as DUBs that impact the efficacy and potency of PROTACs. While the conclusions are broadly supported and the methods employed are solid, the mechanistic depth and validation are incomplete. Overall, these findings merit further evaluation by the targeted protein degradation community when developing and optimizing PROTACs.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Insight into the bioactivity and action mode of betulin, a candidate aphicide from plant metabolite, against aphids

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Junxiu Wang
   2. Matthana Klakong
   3. Qiuyu Zhu
   4. Jinting Pan
   5. Yudie Duan
   6. Lirong Wang
   7. Yong Li
   8. Jiangbo Dang
   9. Danlong Jing
   10. Hong Zhou

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study identifies a plant-derived metabolite, betulin, as an effective natural insecticide against aphids and uncovers its specific molecular target. The evidence is compelling, combining greenhouse and field efficacy trials with rigorous molecular, genetic, and electrophysiological approaches that converge on a conserved binding site in the aphid GABA receptor. While additional work is needed to fully assess potential off-target effects and ecological safety, the study provides a strong mechanistic foundation. These findings will be of interest to researchers in plant biology, chemical ecology, and sustainable pest management.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Chromosome-scale genome assembly of the European common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Simone Rencken
   2. Georgi Tushev
   3. David Hain
   4. Elena Ciirdaeva
   5. Oleg Simakov
   6. Gilles Laurent

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript reports a high-quality genome assembly of the European cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, a representative species of the Cephalopod lineage. The data are based on current best practices for sequencing and genome assembly, including PacBio HiFi long reads and Hi-C chromatin conformation capture; the analysis is currently in parts incomplete, as further analyses are required to confirm the correct chromosome number. This genome will be a useful resource for the community of researchers interested in cuttlefish biology and comparative genomics in general.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. General trends in the calnexin-dependent expression and pharmacological rescue of clinical CFTR variants

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Austin Tedman
   2. John A Olson
   3. Minsoo Kim
   4. Catherine Foye
   5. JaNise J Jackson
   6. Eli F McDonald
   7. Andrew G McKee
   8. Karen Noguera
   9. Charles P Kuntz
   10. Jens Meiler
   11. Kathryn E Oliver
   12. Lars Plate
   13. Jonathan P Schlebach

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study advances our understanding of how cellular quality control machinery influences cystic fibrosis (CF) drug responsiveness by systematically analyzing the effects of the chaperone calnexin on more than two hundreds of CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator) variants. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with a comprehensive deep mutational scanning methodology and rigorous quantitative analysis. The findings reveal that calnexin is critical for both CFTR protein expression and corrector drug efficacy in a variant-specific manner, providing invaluable insights that could guide the development of personalized CF therapies. This work will be of significant interest to researchers in protein folding, CF drug development, and genetic disease therapeutics.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Concatenated Modular BK Channel Constructs Reveal Divergent Stoichiometry in Gating Control by LRRC26 (γ1), Pore, and Selectivity Filter

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Guanxing Chen
   2. Qin Li
   3. Jiusheng Yan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this important contribution, Yan and colleagues describe a powerful and compelling strategy to generate concatamers of the BK channel and their fusion constructs with the auxiliary gamma subunits, which allows exploring contributions of individual subunits of the tetrameric channel to its gating and the study of heteromeric channel complexes of defined composition. Distinct examples are presented, which illustrate great diversity in the stoichiometric control of BK channel gating, depending on the site and nature of molecular perturbations. The molecular approaches could be extended to other membrane proteins whose N and C termini face opposite sides of the membrane.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Smed-pou4-2 regulates mechanosensory neuron regeneration and function in planarians

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Ryan A McCubbin
    2. Mohammad A Auwal
    3. Shengzhou Wang
    4. Sarai Alvarez Zepeda
    5. Roman Sasik
    6. Robert W Zeller
    7. Kelly G Ross
    8. Ricardo M Zayas

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This is a valuable study that explores the role of the conserved transcription factor POU4-2 in the maintenance, regeneration, and function of planarian mechanosensory neurons. The authors present convincing evidence provided by gene expression and functional studies to demonstrate that POU4-2 is required for the maintenance and regeneration of mechanosensory neurons and mechanosensory function in planarians. Furthermore, the authors identify conserved genes associated with human auditory and rheosensory neurons as potential targets of this transcription factor.

    Reviewed by eLife