eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Imidacloprid disrupts larval molting regulation and nutrient energy metabolism, causing developmental delay in honey bee Apis mellifera

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Zhi Li
   2. Yuedi Wang
   3. Qiqian Qin
   4. Lanchun Chen
   5. Xiaoqun Dang
   6. Zhengang Ma
   7. Zeyang Zhou

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This investigation of the changes in gene expression and some of the physiological consequences of sublethal exposures to the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid in honeybee larvae is useful, although numerous experiments were not considered based on technical issues. The methodological design leads to concerns and it is therefore not obvious that all conclusions are justified. The study adds to our understanding of how this insecticide impacts development and growth of honeybees, but the evidence supporting the major claims is incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Transposon mutagenesis screen in Klebsiella pneumoniae identifies genetic determinants required for growth in human urine and serum

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Jessica Gray
   2. Von Vergel L Torres
   3. Emily Goodall
   4. Samantha A McKeand
   5. Danielle Scales
   6. Christy Collins
   7. Laura Wetherall
   8. Zheng Jie Lian
   9. Jack A Bryant
   10. Matthew T Milner
   11. Karl A Dunne
   12. Christopher Icke
   13. Jessica L Rooke
   14. Thamarai Schneiders
   15. Peter A Lund
   16. Adam F Cunningham
   17. Jeff A Cole
   18. Ian R Henderson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study is of relevance for those interested in the mechanism required for infections of humans by Klebsiella pneumoniae. The authors apply TraDIS (high-density TnSeq) to K. pneumoniae with the goal of identifying genes required for survival under various infection-relevant conditions and the gene sets identified, together with the raw sequence data, will be resources for the Klebsiella research community. The evidence to support the lists of essential and conditionally-essential genes is convincing. The study provides strong evidence that some genes are conditionally essential in urine because of iron limitation, but there is less mechanistic insight for genes that are conditionally essential in serum.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Broca’s area, variation and taxic diversity in early Homo from Koobi Fora (Kenya)

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Amélie Beaudet
   2. Edwin de Jager

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study uses the brain endocast of a ~1.9-million-year-old hominin fossil from Kenya, attributed to genus Homo, to show that the organization of the Broca's area in members of early Homo was primitive. Specifically, the prefrontal sulcal pattern in this early Homo specimen more closely resembles that of chimpanzees than of modern humans. Because Broca's area is associated with speech function, the compelling evidence from this study is relevant for understanding the timing and trajectory of evolution of speech related traits in our genus. Coupled with its potential implications for taxonomic classification, this study will be of interest to paleoanthropologists, paleontologists, archaeologists, and neuroscientists.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Intrinsic protein disorder is insufficient to drive subnuclear clustering in embryonic transcription factors

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Colleen E Hannon
   2. Michael B Eisen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The manuscript addresses a fundamental question: are IDRs responsible for subnuclear clustering of transcription factors? A screen of 75 IDRs yielded convincing evidence that IDRs are rarely sufficient for subnuclear clustering, while the experimental design and data analysis provided limited evidence for the authors' claims regarding transcription factor clustering.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Association between APOL1 risk variants and the occurrence of sepsis in Black patients hospitalized with infections: a retrospective cohort study

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Lan Jiang
   2. Ge Liu
   3. Annette Oeser
   4. Andrea Ihegword
   5. Alyson L Dickson
   6. Laura L Daniel
   7. Adriana M Hung
   8. Nancy J Cox
   9. Cecilia P Chung
   10. Wei-Qi Wei
   11. C Michael Stein
   12. Qiping Feng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this valuable study, patients homozygous for both minor frequency alleles of the APOL1 gene are shown to be at significant risk for progression into sepsis after infection. The study has enrolled a significant number of subjects and provides solid results. The study addresses to infectious diseases and critical care experts and one major weakness is the lack of inclusion of non-Black patients.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Molecular portraits of colorectal cancer morphological regions

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Eva Budinská
   2. Martina Hrivňáková
   3. Tina Catela Ivkovic
   4. Marie Madrzyk
   5. Rudolf Nenutil
   6. Beatrix Bencsiková
   7. Dagmar Al Tukmachi
   8. Michaela Ručková
   9. Lenka Zdražilová Dubská
   10. Ondřej Slabý
   11. Josef Feit
   12. Mihnea-Paul Dragomir
   13. Petra Borilova Linhartova
   14. Sabine Tejpar
   15. Vlad Popovici

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding on the putative molecular patterns underlying characteristic morphological regions observed in colorectal cancer (CRC). The authors provide a morphological framework through which clinicians might improve the performance of molecular signatures and consequently predict the clinical response of patients with better accuracy. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid. The work will be of interest to clinicians and cancer biologists working in the field of CRC.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Analysis of NIH K99/R00 awards and the career progression of awardees

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Nicole C Woitowich
   2. Sarah R Hengel
   3. Christopher Solis
   4. Tauras P Vilgalys
   5. Joel Babdor
   6. Daniel J Tyrrell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study follows the career trajectories of the winners of an early-career funding award in the United States, and finds that researchers with greater mobility, men, and those hired at well-funded institutions experience greater subsequent funding success. Using data on K99/R00 awards from the National Institutes of Health's grants management database, the authors provide compelling evidence documenting the inequalities that shape faculty funding opportunities and career pathways, and show that these inequalities disproportionately impact women and faculty working at particular institutions, including historically black colleges and universities. Overall, the article is an important addition to the literature examining inequality in biomedical research in the United States.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Evaluation of surface-based hippocampal registration using ground-truth subfield definitions

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Jordan DeKraker
   2. Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
   3. Olga Kedo
   4. Neda Ladbon-Bernasconi
   5. Sascha EA Muenzing
   6. Markus Axer
   7. Katrin Amunts
   8. Ali R Khan
   9. Boris C Bernhardt
   10. Alan C Evans

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper presents an important contribution to the field of hippocampal registration by introducing a novel surface-based approach that utilizes the topological and morphological features of the hippocampus for anatomical registration across individuals, rather than volumetric-based methods commonly used in the literature. The study provides compelling evidence for the efficacy of this approach using histological samples from three different datasets and offers validation of the method through comparison with traditional volumetric registration. This is significant work given the large number of studies that examine hippocampal shape, thickness, and function in large cohorts, providing strong support for the use of hippocampal unfolding methods in future studies.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Natural variation in the Caenorhabditis elegans egg-laying circuit modulates an intergenerational fitness trade-off

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Laure Mignerot
   2. Clotilde Gimond
   3. Lucie Bolelli
   4. Charlotte Bouleau
   5. Asma Sandjak
   6. Thomas Boulin
   7. Christian Braendle

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work provides a thorough and detailed analysis of natural variation in C. elegans egg-laying behavior. The authors present convincing evidence to support their hypothesis that variations in egg-laying behavior are influenced by trade-offs between maternal and offspring fitness. This study establishes a framework for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying this paradigm of behavioral evolution.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Zn2+ is essential for Ca2+ oscillations in mouse eggs

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Hiroki Akizawa
    2. Emily M Lopes
    3. Rafael A Fissore

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This manuscript reports an important series of results showing the relationship between oscillatory zinc and calcium fluctuations during egg activation and fertilization. Compelling evidence using several complimentary approaches provides further insight into the signals for proper egg activation that underpin successful fertilization and embryo development. The findings are significant because they may lead to improvements in assisted reproduction methods.

    Reviewed by eLife