eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Mechanistic insights into robust cardiac IKs potassium channel activation by aromatic polyunsaturated fatty acid analogues

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Briana M Bohannon
   2. Jessica J Jowais
   3. Leif Nyberg
   4. Vanessa Olivier-Meo
   5. Valentina Corradi
   6. D Peter Tieleman
   7. Sara I Liin
   8. H Peter Larsson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work reports important findings regarding the regulation of ion channels by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) through the identification of novel aromatic PUFA analogs with potent effects on the IKs channels, which allow for mechanistic insights into their mode of action. The experiments are solid, combining site-directed mutagenesis, electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches to dissect the different molecular mechanisms and sites involved in the functional interactions. This work will be of broad interest to ion channel biophysicists, physiologists, and medical chemists interested in drug development for LQT syndrome. The study presents some limitations that may need to be addressed or further discussed, in order to strengthen the conclusions reached in the study.

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2. Somatic mutation rates scale with time not growth rate in long-lived tropical trees

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Akiko Satake
   2. Ryosuke Imai
   3. Takeshi Fujino
   4. Sou Tomimoto
   5. Kayoko Ohta
   6. Mohammad Na'iem
   7. Sapto Indrioko
   8. Widiyatno Widiyatno
   9. Susilo Purnomo
   10. Almudena Molla Morales
   11. Viktoria Nizhynska
   12. Naoki Tani
   13. Yoshihisa Suyama
   14. Eriko Sasaki
   15. Masahiro Kasahara

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Satake and colleagues' important study elucidates somatic mutation processes in plants, demonstrating that in two tropical trees, mutation rates correlate with age, not growth rates. Their convincing evidence shows that many mutations do not align with cell divisions, suggesting many somatic mutations are generated in a replication-independent manner. This study represents a significant step towards advancing our understanding of plant development and the patterns and inheritance of mutations. This significant research is poised to engage a diverse array of scholars in plant evolution and development.

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3. Chromosomal instability induced in cancer can enhance macrophage-initiated immune responses that include anti-tumor IgG

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Brandon H Hayes
   2. Mai Wang
   3. Hui Zhu
   4. Steven H Phan
   5. Lawrence J Dooling
   6. Jason C Andrechak
   7. Alexander H Chang
   8. Michael P Tobin
   9. Nicholas M Ontko
   10. Tristan Marchena
   11. Dennis E Discher

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors provide compelling evidence that MSP1 inhibition (leading to chromosomal instability or CIN in the cancer cells) increases phagocytosis and that tumors with CIN respond better to macrophage therapeutics. In this important study, they demonstrate particularly impressive survival rates for mouse models of CIN B16 tumors treated with adoptively transferred macrophages, CD47-SIRPα blockade, and anti-Tyrp1 IgG.

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4. Oral supplementation of gut microbial metabolite indole-3-acetate alleviates diet-induced steatosis and inflammation in mice

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Yufang Ding
   2. Karin Yanagi
   3. Fang Yang
   4. Evelyn Callaway
   5. Clint Cheng
   6. Martha E Hensel
   7. Rani Menon
   8. Robert C Alaniz
   9. Kyongbum Lee
   10. Arul Jayaraman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The studies are important to the field of hepatic steatosis and inflammation. The data provided are convincing that treatment with I3A mitigated Western diet (WD)-induced hepatic steatosis, inflammation and reversed WD-induced alterations in liver bile acids and free fatty acids in mice.

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5. β-Carotene accelerates the resolution of atherosclerosis in mice

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Ivan Pinos
   2. Johana Coronel
   3. Asma'a Albakri
   4. Amparo Blanco
   5. Patrick McQueen
   6. Donald Molina
   7. JaeYoung Sim
   8. Edward A Fisher
   9. Jaume Amengual

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents an important conceptual advance of how vitamin A and its derivatives contribute to atherosclerosis. There is solid evidence for the contributions of specialized populations of T cells in atherosclerosis resolution, including use of multiple in vivo models to validate the functional effects. A limitation is the insufficient analysis of lesions, but the manuscript has been improved from the original preprint version and the overarching conclusions have been refined.

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6. Uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate induces trained immunity via the AhR-dependent arachidonic acid pathway in end-stage renal disease (ESRD)

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Hee Young Kim
   2. Yeon Jun Kang
   3. Dong Hyun Kim
   4. Jiyeon Jang
   5. Su Jeong Lee
   6. Gwanghun Kim
   7. Hee Byung Koh
   8. Ye Eun Ko
   9. Hyun Mu Shin
   10. Hajeong Lee
   11. Tae-Hyun Yoo
   12. Won-Woo Lee

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors expand the concept of a new layer to training immunity, which is currently being highlighted by several colleagues in the field. The work provides important hints to understand end-stage renal disease. Overall, the rational approach leads to experimental results that are solid.

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7. Murine alveolar macrophages rapidly accumulate intranasally administered SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein leading to neutrophil recruitment and damage

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Chung Park
   2. Il-Young Hwang
   3. Serena Li-Sue Yan
   4. Sinmanus Vimonpatranon
   5. Danlan Wei
   6. Don Van Ryk
   7. Alexandre Girard
   8. Claudia Cicala
   9. James Arthos
   10. John H Kehrl

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper investigates the impact of intranasal instillation of SARS CoV2 spike protein in mouse models of lung inflammation. The authors conclude that the spike protein can interact with macrophages through carbohydrate recognition and can induce recruitment and NETosis of neutrophils, contributing to lung inflammation. They also use the cremaster muscle model to investigate effect of the spike proteins on neutrophil dynamics and death using intravital microscopy. Given that mucosal vaccines using SARS CoV2 spike variants could be envisioned as desirable, the observation that spike can induce lung/mucosal inflammation even without an adjuvant is important. Despite limitations of some loose terminology and some weak controls, the key observations are solid and demand further attention given the importance of the antigen.

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8. SMARCAD1 and TOPBP1 contribute to heterochromatin maintenance at the transition from the 2C-like to the pluripotent state

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Ruben Sebastian-Perez
   2. Shoma Nakagawa
   3. Xiaochuan Tu
   4. Sergi Aranda
   5. Martina Pesaresi
   6. Pablo Aurelio Gomez-Garcia
   7. Marc Alcoverro-Bertran
   8. Jose Luis Gomez-Vazquez
   9. Davide Carnevali
   10. Eva Borràs
   11. Eduard Sabidó
   12. Laura Martin
   13. Malka Nissim-Rafinia
   14. Eran Meshorer
   15. Maria Victoria Neguembor
   16. Luciano Di Croce
   17. Maria Pia Cosma

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study examines heterochromatin domain dynamics using a model system that allows reversible transition from an embryonic stem cell to a 2-cell-like state. The authors present a solid resource to the research community that will further the understanding of changes in the chromatin-bound proteome during the 2C-to-ESC transition. However, conclusions related to the functional roles of the interaction between the SWI/SNF complex component SMARCAD1 and the DNA Topoisomerase II Binding protein (TOPBP1) remain incomplete.

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9. High-throughput Automated Muropeptide Analysis (HAMA) Reveals Peptidoglycan Composition of Gut Microbial Cell Walls

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ya-Chen Hsu
   2. Pin-Rui Su
   3. Lin-Jie Huang
   4. Kum-Yi Cheng
   5. Chun-hsien Chen
   6. Cheng-Chih Hsu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study reports a new approach to determine the architecture of peptidoglycan (PG), the primary component of the bacterial cell wall, validating the pipeline through an architectural analysis of several members of the human gut microbiota. The technique is potentially valuable for this sub-field as it would enable researchers interested in peptidoglycan in a range of organisms to easily assess muropeptide composition in an easy, automated manner. However, there is some uncertainty about whether the pipeline was fully automated and it was noted that the pipeline requires prior knowledge of the peptidoglycan composition of an organism. Additionally, the use of the technique to investigate whether PG cross-bridge length is a determinant of cell wall stiffness produced evidence that would need more direct support and is therefore so far incomplete.

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10. Diminishing neuronal acidification by channelrhodopsins with low proton conduction

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Rebecca Frank Hayward
    2. F Phil Brooks
    3. Shang Yang
    4. Shiqiang Gao
    5. Adam E Cohen

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This important and compelling study investigates the problem of intracellular acidification induced by commonly-used optogenetic stimulating opsins. The low proton permeability of two high-performance opsins is shown to reduce photostimulated acidification. The findings may be of broad interest in the fields of neuroscience research and optogenetic therapies.

    Reviewed by eLife