eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Statistical inference reveals the role of length, GC content, and local sequence in V(D)J nucleotide trimming

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Magdalena L Russell
   2. Noah Simon
   3. Philip Bradley
   4. Frederick A Matsen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Russel et al. study and reveal compelling evidence for potential sequence-based factors that may drive VDJ trimming, a mechanism involved in VDJ recombination that shapes adaptive immune repertoire generation. The work is based on a rigorous statistical comparison of logistic regression models to reveal the role and function of cutting enzymes in shaping T- and B-cell receptor diversity. It could provide fundamental new insights into these processes with some claims being currently incomplete.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of object recognition under uncertainty in humans

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Yuan-hao Wu
   2. Ella Podvalny
   3. Biyu J He

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study investigates the spatiotemporal characteristics of human brain activities during object recognition under noisy and ambiguous conditions. By using state-of-the-art data analysis and model-driven fusion of MEG and 7T, this work demonstrates distinct representational profiles in ventral and dorsal pathways, contributing new perspectives to our understanding of the neural implementation of object recognition under uncertainty.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Actin-regulated Siglec-1 nanoclustering influences HIV-1 capture and virus-containing compartment formation in dendritic cells

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Enric Gutiérrez-Martínez
   2. Susana Benet Garrabé
   3. Nicolas Mateos
   4. Itziar Erkizia
   5. Jon Ander Nieto-Garai
   6. Maier Lorizate
   7. Kyra JE Borgman
   8. Carlo Manzo
   9. Felix Campelo
   10. Nuria Izquierdo-Useros
   11. Javier Martinez-Picado
   12. Maria F Garcia-Parajo

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Siglec-1 (CD169), a plasma membrane-associated sialic acid-binding lectin, has been implicated in the capture of HIV and other viruses by dendritic cells and macrophages. However, the molecular details of how HIV particles are captured by Siglec-1 are poorly understood. In this paper, the authors use advanced imaging methods to analyse the cell surface distribution of Siglec-1 on immature and mature dendritic cells to study the regulation of Siglec-1 distribution by actin and regulators of actin polymerization and to understand how virus-Siglec-1 engagement leads to virus sequestration within so-called virus containing compartments. These types of analyses have only recently become feasible with the implementation of super-resolution imaging and as yet few virus-host cell systems have been examined in detail. Thus, this study has relevance for researchers studying the engagement of HIV and many other viruses with cells, as well as researchers interested in the mechanisms regulating receptor distribution and function on cells.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Binding and sequestration of poison frog alkaloids by a plasma globulin

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Aurora Alvarez-Buylla
   2. Marie-Therese Fischer
   3. Maria Dolores Moya Garzon
   4. Alexandra E Rangel
   5. Elicio E Tapia
   6. Julia T Tanzo
   7. H Tom Soh
   8. Luis A Coloma
   9. Jonathan Z Long
   10. Lauren A O'Connell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Poison frogs sequester alkaloids to make themselves toxic or unpalatable to predators, but how this sequestration occurs is not well understood. This valuable study identifies an alkaloid-binding protein in the plasma of poison frogs, which may help explain how these animals are able to sequester a diversity of alkaloids with different target sites. The supporting evidence is solid and the study adds to our understanding of how toxic animals resist the effects of their own defenses.

   Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

5. CCR1 mediates Müller cell activation and photoreceptor cell death in macular and retinal degeneration

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Sarah Elbaz-Hayoun
   2. Batya Rinsky
   3. Shira Hagbi-Levi
   4. Michelle Grunin
   5. Itay Chowers

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Elbaz-Hayoun et al. investigate the role of macrophages in the gliotic response of retinal Müller glia and photoreceptor cell death. The authors find that macrophages play a role in inducing retinal damage. A role for the muller glia expressed, C-C chemokine receptor axis was identified as a causative factor in promoting retinal degeneration. These important data identify a new link between cells of the immune system and those within the retina which contribute to the progression of retinal degeneration.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. A CRISPR-based rapid DNA repositioning strategy and the early intranuclear life of HSV-1

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Juan Xiang
   2. Chaoyang Fan
   3. Hongchang Dong
   4. Yilei Ma
   5. Pei Xu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment:

     In this important work, the authors describe a recombinant CRISPR/Cas9 construct, CRISPR-nuPin, that has the reported capacity to rapidly tether DNA to the inner nuclear membrane of cells. They then evaluate the effect of this construct on Herpes Simplex virus type 1 infection, identifying different phases of viral replication susceptible to inner nuclear membrane tethering. This work provides convincing evidence for the effects of intranuclear DNA localization on viral gene expression and replication, using a method applicable to nonviral genes as well.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Functional membrane microdomains and the hydroxamate siderophore transporter ATPase FhuC govern Isd-dependent heme acquisition in Staphylococcus aureus

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Lea Antje Adolf
   2. Angelika Müller-Jochim
   3. Lara Kricks
   4. Jan-Samuel Puls
   5. Daniel Lopez
   6. Fabian Grein
   7. Simon Heilbronner

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment:

     In this fundamental manuscript, the authors provide compelling evidence that a housekeeping ATPase is required for heme utilization in the important pathogen Staphylococcus aureus through its interaction with the canonical heme transporter in this organism. The authors convincingly show that this complex associates with functional membrane microdomains and thus establishes a new paradigm for regional localization of the heme transport system in the staphylococci. The work will be of interest to microbiologists, particularly those studying transport for macromolecules.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The generation of HepG2 transmitochondrial cybrids to reveal the role of mitochondrial genotype in idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Amy Louise Ball
   2. Carol E Jolly
   3. Mark G Lennon
   4. Jonathan J Lyon
   5. Ana Alfirevic
   6. Amy E Chadwick

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper is of potential interest to scientists within the field of drug-induced liver injury. The concept of the study is interesting by generating mitochondrial genotype-specific liver cell lines to evaluate idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity. While the proof-of-concept is clearly presented, the current data do not yet allow to draw broad conclusions about the significance of the study in terms of drug effects.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Single-cell RNA-seq of heart reveals intercellular communication drivers of myocardial fibrosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Wei Li
   2. Xinqi Lou
   3. Yingjie Zha
   4. Yinyin Qin
   5. Jun Zha
   6. Lei Hong
   7. Zhanli Xie
   8. Shudi Yang
   9. Chen Wang
   10. Jianzhong An
   11. Zhenhao Zhang
   12. Shigang Qiao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The precise cellular and molecular mechanisms and signaling mediators underpinning the development of cardiomyopathy and heart failure in diabetes still remains unclear. In-depth investigations of the cardiac heterogeneity and cell-to-cell interactions could be of use to reveal the pathogenesis of diabetic myocardial fibrosis and thereby identify potential targets for the treatment of cardiac myopathy and heart failure. Utilizing a mouse model as well as in-vitro studies, this manuscript demonstrates cardiac cell mapping that provides novel insights into novel drivers of intercellular communication contributing to pathological extracellular matrix remodeling during diabetic myocardial fibrosis. The work provides compelling and convincing evidence to improve the understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of diabetes-induced cardiac pathology.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Identification of a GABAergic neural circuit governing leptin signaling deficiency-induced obesity

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Yong Han
    2. Yang He
    3. Lauren Harris
    4. Yong Xu
    5. Qi Wu

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      Leptin is a fat-derived hormone that curbs appetite, and mutation of leptin causes obesity and diabetes. This manuscript investigates leptin-responsive neural circuits, revealing a key inhibitory connection from leptin-sensitive neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (AGRP neurons) to neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus. Toggling this inhibitory connection impacted leptin effects on feeding and metabolism. The study contains valuable data, including several interesting molecular genetic systems and the demonstration of GABA signaling in the DMH for the control of food intake, however, there is inadequate information about experimental design, including a lack of quantification and controls, and unjustified assumptions.

    Reviewed by eLife