eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Decoding the genetic and chemical basis of sexual attractiveness in parasitic wasps

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Weizhao Sun
   2. Michelle Ina Lange
   3. Jürgen Gadau
   4. Jan Buellesbach

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reveals the genetic regulation of changes in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in a Hymenopteran insect and links these changes with courtship behaviour and sexual attractiveness. It provides convincing empirical evidence, spanning genetic, chemical, and behavioural data. It adds valuable new perspectives on the mechanisms that underlie chemical recognition and communication systems in nature.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Melanocortin 1 receptor regulates cholesterol and bile acid metabolism in the liver

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Keshav Thapa
   2. James J Kadiri
   3. Karla Saukkonen
   4. Iida Pennanen
   5. Bishwa Ghimire
   6. Minying Cai
   7. Eriika Savontaus
   8. Petteri Rinne

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The significance of this manuscript is that is provides useful information for the field of hepatology and endocrinology on the regulatory mechanisms of cholesterol homeostasis by melanocortin. The authors provide solid evidence utilizing both in vivo and in vitro molecular, cellular, and biochemical approaches to support their claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Decoupled neoantigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells limits anti-tumor immunity against tumors with heterogeneous neoantigen expression

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Kim Bich Nguyen
   2. Malte Roerden
   3. Christopher J Copeland
   4. Coralie M Backlund
   5. Nory G Klop-Packel
   6. Tanaka Remba
   7. Byungji Kim
   8. Nishant K Singh
   9. Michael E Birnbaum
   10. Darrell J Irvine
   11. Stefani Spranger

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work advances our understanding of the import of clonal heterogeneity in cancers in immune response to individual antigens. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, and uses interesting tools, although the mechanistic basis of the observations is unclear. The work will be of broad interest to immunologists including cancer immunologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. A back-door insight into the modulation of Src kinase activity by the polyamine spermidine

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Sofia Rossini
   2. Marco Gargaro
   3. Giulia Scalisi
   4. Elisa Bianconi
   5. Sara Ambrosino
   6. Eleonora Panfili
   7. Claudia Volpi
   8. Ciriana Orabona
   9. Antonio Macchiarulo
   10. Francesca Fallarino
   11. Giada Mondanelli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is an important study describing the mechanism of Spermidine modulation of Src kinase, identifying the interacting amino acids and the effect on indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) activation based on solid evidence. Considering the important role of IDO1 in the immune response this study could provide important information for the design of allosteric modulators capable of turning SRC on/off.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Mutant SF3B1 promotes malignancy in PDAC

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Patrik Simmler
   2. Eleonora I Ioannidi
   3. Tamara Mengis
   4. Kim Fabiano Marquart
   5. Simran Asawa
   6. Kjong Van-Lehmann
   7. Andre Kahles
   8. Tinu Thomas
   9. Cornelia Schwerdel
   10. Nicola Aceto
   11. Gunnar Rätsch
   12. Markus Stoffel
   13. Gerald Schwank

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work examines a role for altered splicing in pancreatic tumorigenesis by interrogating effects of a specific mutation in the Sf3b splicing factor in pancreatic organoid and cell line growth primarily, with some in vivo work also performed. There is significant potential in the study but there is a concern about the lack of in vivo validation of claims that are most relevant to metastatic progression and the focus on one specific mechanism at the expense of other possible effects on splicing of factors important for disease progression.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Long-range DNA end resection supports homologous recombination by checkpoint activation rather than extensive homology generation

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Michael T Kimble
   2. Matthew J Johnson
   3. Mattie R Nester
   4. Lorraine S Symington

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment:

     This fundamental study provides compelling evidence that long-range resection is important for recombination between distal, but not proximal, homologous sequences. It is thus proposed that a major role of long resection of a double-strand break mediated by Sgs1 and Exo1 is to activate the DNA damage checkpoint to allow the chromosomal mobility needed for the DNA ends to find a distant homologous sequence with which repair via homologous recombination, adding a new biological meaning to the role of long DNA resection in homologous recombination.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Non-shared coding of observed and executed actions prevails in macaque ventral premotor mirror neurons

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Jörn K Pomper
   2. Mohammad Shams
   3. Shengjun Wen
   4. Friedemann Bunjes
   5. Peter Thier

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The mechanisms underlying mirror neurons are a topic of wide interest for all who study the workings of the brain. The authors use an elegant decoding approach to test whether mirror neurons encode action categories in the same framework regardless of whether actions are executed in the dark or observed in the light. This new approach identifies only a small subset of mirror neurons with fully matched coding among a larger set showing partial matches. The thought-provoking study opens up new principled avenues to probe the mechanics of matching action and perception.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Ether lipid biosynthesis promotes lifespan extension and enables diverse pro-longevity paradigms in Caenorhabditis elegans

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Lucydalila Cedillo
   2. Fasih M Ahsan
   3. Sainan Li
   4. Nicole L Stuhr
   5. Yifei Zhou
   6. Yuyao Zhang
   7. Adebanjo Adedoja
   8. Luke M Murphy
   9. Armen Yerevanian
   10. Sinclair Emans
   11. Khoi Dao
   12. Zhaozhi Li
   13. Nicholas D Peterson
   14. Jeramie Watrous
   15. Mohit Jain
   16. Sudeshna Das
   17. Read Pukkila-Worley
   18. Sean P Curran
   19. Alexander A Soukas

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Using C. elegans as a model organism, the study hones in on the role of ether lipid biosynthesis as an effector of metformin--a process previously implicated in extending lifespan in response to diet--, TOR signalling, and mitochondrial interventions. The data in this paper are compelling, and a better understanding of biguanide impact on metabolism is highly important in the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Subcortico-amygdala pathway processes innate and learned threats

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Valentina Khalil
   2. Islam Faress
   3. Noëmie Mermet-Joret
   4. Peter Kerwin
   5. Keisuke Yonehara
   6. Sadegh Nabavi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents valuable insights into the circuits that are common for innate and learned threat. The evidence supporting the author's conclusions is solid, but the specificity of the circuit targeting methods requires further histological assessment and clarification. Deeper interpretation of novel mechanistic insights that are gained would benefit the study.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. An observational treatment study of metacognition in anxious-depression

    This article has 11 authors:

    1. Celine Ann Fox
    2. Chi Tak Lee
    3. Anna Kathleen Hanlon
    4. Tricia XF Seow
    5. Kevin Lynch
    6. Siobhán Harty
    7. Derek Richards
    8. Jorge Palacios
    9. Veronica O'Keane
    10. Klaas Enno Stephan
    11. Claire M Gillan

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This valuable study advances our knowledge of the effects of anxiety/depression treatment on metacognition, demonstrating that treatment increases metacognitive confidence alongside improving symptoms. The authors provide convincing evidence for the state-dependency of metacognitive confidence, based on a large longitudinal treatment dataset. However, it is unclear to what extent this effect is truly specific to treatment, as changes in metacognitive confidence in the group receiving online therapy were not statistically different from those in the control group.

    Reviewed by eLife