eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Mitotic chromosomes scale to nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio and cell size in Xenopus

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Coral Y Zhou
   2. Bastiaan Dekker
   3. Ziyuan Liu
   4. Hilda Cabrera
   5. Joel Ryan
   6. Job Dekker
   7. Rebecca Heald

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study combines experiments in developing embryos and embryo extracts to investigate a fundamental relationship in biology - how the size of mitotic chromosomes scales with changes in cell size during development. By combining the unique tools available in the Xenopus system with modern genomic approaches, the authors convincingly demonstrate that mitotic chromosome scaling is mediated by differential loading of maternal chromatin remodeling factors during interphase. Although it remains unclear exactly how these factors impact chromosome size, the findings reported here will be of broad interest to the cell biology community and are likely to spawn new avenues of experimental inquiry aimed at understanding intracellular scaling relationships.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Quantification of impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening programmes – a case study from Argentina, Bangladesh, Colombia, Morocco, Sri Lanka, and Thailand

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Eric Lucas
   2. Raul Murillo
   3. Silvina Arrossi
   4. Martin Bárcena
   5. Youssef Chami
   6. Ashrafun Nessa
   7. Suraj Perera
   8. Padmaka Silva
   9. Suleeporn Sangrajrang
   10. Richard Muwonge
   11. Partha Basu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides important estimates from international cancer screening data repository about the impact of the COVID-pandemic related disruptions on cancer screening programs in selected low- and middle-income countries. The evidence supporting the study is solid and relies on national-level screening program attendee volumes and assessments of screen positives during 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (during the pandemic). The study provides real-world data estimates of proportions/volumes of missed screenings due to pandemic control measures (lockdowns and closures) and may contribute to future modelling efforts for measuring the impact on late/advanced stage detection and excess case burden and mortality.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects are mediated by Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Anastasiya Zaytseva
   2. Evelina Bouckova
   3. McKennon J Wiles
   4. Madison H Wustrau
   5. Isabella G Schmidt
   6. Hadassah Mendez-Vazquez
   7. Latika Khatri
   8. Seonil Kim

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper addresses an important clinical concern which is how the antidepressant ketamine exerts its effects acts rapidly. The authors suggest the reason is that ketamine increases glutamatergic transmission in the hippocampus. The strengths are the data are mostly very good, and the limitations are a lack of compelling evidence that the hippocampus is the location where effects occur, as well as several other issues.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Cyclic AMP binding to a universal stress protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for viability

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Arka Banerjee
   2. Moubani Chakraborty
   3. Suruchi Sharma
   4. Ruchi Chaturvedi
   5. Avipsa Bose
   6. Priyanka Biswas
   7. Amit Singh
   8. Sandhya S. Visweswariah

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study will be of interest to those working on mycobacterial signal transduction. A combination of experiments provides convincing evidence to show how universal stress proteins bind to cAMP and function by direct sequestration of the second messenger. Although the methods, data and analyses broadly support the conclusions, the main claims are only partially supported and can be strengthened through further analytic approaches.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Rapid cell type-specific nascent proteome labeling in Drosophila

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Stefanny Villalobos-Cantor
   2. Ruth M Barrett
   3. Alec F Condon
   4. Alicia Arreola-Bustos
   5. Kelsie M Rodriguez
   6. Michael S Cohen
   7. Ian Martin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Villalobos-Cantor et. al. describe a new technique for cell-type specific in vivo labeling of nascent peptides, which they call POPPi. POPPi is based on sequence-independent incorporation of the puromycin analog OPP into an elongating peptide, which also simultaneously terminates the growing peptide. To achieve cell-type-specific labeling, the authors used an OPP derivative, PhAc-OPP, as the labeling substrate. The method is potentially interesting but needs further characterization to be able to assess its use.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Promoting axon regeneration by inhibiting RNA N6-methyladenosine demethylase ALKBH5

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Dong Wang
   2. Tiemei Zheng
   3. Songlin Zhou
   4. Mingwen Liu
   5. Yaobo Liu
   6. Xiaosong Gu
   7. Susu Mao
   8. Bin Yu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study combines a screen of known N6-methyladenine (m6A)-dependent RNA modifying factors to identify ALKBH5 as critical in crush injury response. They demonstrate through gain and loss of function an effect on ALKBH5 m6A-dependent Lpin2 mRNA stability during injury-induced axon regeneration in both dorsal root ganglia nerve and optic nerve regeneration. The results provide new insight into the role of RNA modification on neural injury. However, the limitations of the experimental design on the conclusions drawn require additional consideration. With additional control experiments and further consideration of the limitations, the paper will provide a link between N6-methyladenine and neurotrauma.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Myofibroblast senescence promotes arrhythmogenic remodeling in the aged infarcted rabbit heart

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Brett C Baggett
   2. Kevin R Murphy
   3. Elif Sengun
   4. Eric Mi
   5. Yueming Cao
   6. Nilufer N Turan
   7. Yichun Lu
   8. Lorraine Schofield
   9. Tae Yun Kim
   10. Anatoli Y Kabakov
   11. Peter Bronk
   12. Zhilin Qu
   13. Patrizia Camelliti
   14. Patrycja Dubielecka
   15. Dmitry Terentyev
   16. Federica del Monte
   17. Bum-Rak Choi
   18. John Sedivy
   19. Gideon Koren

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study describes important results and convincing evidence linking myofibroblast senescence in the aged heart with a pro-arrhythmogenic phenotype. This is in turn related to higher mortality after myocardial infarction in the aged rabbit heart. These constitute important empiric as opposed to detailed findings. They nevertheless will be of interest to clinician scientists studying cardiac function and disease.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Differences in the inflammatory proteome of East African and Western European adults and associations with environmental and dietary factors

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Godfrey S Temba
   2. Nadira Vadaq
   3. Vesla Kullaya
   4. Tal Pecht
   5. Paolo Lionetti
   6. Duccio Cavalieri
   7. Joachim L Schultze
   8. Reginald Kavishe
   9. Leo AB Joosten
   10. Andre J van der Ven
   11. Blandina T Mmbaga
   12. Mihai G Netea
   13. Quirijn de Mast

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising rapidly in urbanizing populations in many parts of the developing world, including in sub-Saharan Africa. Temba and colleagues show important evidence that healthy Tanzanians display a pro-inflammatory phenotype with enrichment of specific immune-metabolic pathways. Dood-derived metabolites were identified as an important driver of inflammation-related molecules. These findings provide solid evidence that the dietary transition that occurs in urbanizing areas in sub-Saharan Africa may contribute significantly to the increased incidence of non communicable diseases in this part of the world.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. The prolactin receptor scaffolds Janus kinase 2 via co-structure formation with phosphoinositide-4,5-bisphosphate

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Raul Araya-Secchi
   2. Katrine Bugge
   3. Pernille Seiffert
   4. Amalie Petry
   5. Gitte W Haxholm
   6. Kresten Lindorff-Larsen
   7. Stine Falsig Pedersen
   8. Lise Arleth
   9. Birthe B Kragelund

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important interdisciplinary study substantially advances our understanding of the prolactin receptor interactions with the membrane lipids and the effect of these interactions on cell signaling. The authors use a combination of state-of-the-art NMR structural analysis, simulations, and cellular assays to provide compelling experimental evidence for protein complexes being regulated by IDR-membrane interactions. The work will be of broad interest to structural biologists and biochemists, and the results presented herein are likely relevant for other non-tyrosine kinase receptors.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Antagonistic role of the BTB-zinc finger transcription factors Chinmo and Broad-Complex in the juvenile/pupal transition and in growth control

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Sílvia Chafino
    2. Panagiotis Giannios
    3. Jordi Casanova
    4. David Martín
    5. Xavier Franch-Marro

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This important study demonstrates that the transcription factor Chinmo is a master regulator that maintains larval growth and development as part of the metamorphic gene network in Drosophila. Chinmo does so in part by regulating Broad expression in imaginal tissues (exemplified in the wing disc) and in a Broad-independent manner in other larval tissues such as the salivary gland. Finally, they demonstrate that the role of Chinmo in promoting larval development is conserved between holometabolous insects and hemimetabolous insects, which lack a pupal stage. The data were collected and analyzed using solid and validated methodology and will be of interest to a broad audience including those interested in development and evolution.

    Reviewed by eLife