eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Structural and functional properties of the transporter SLC26A6 reveal mechanism of coupled anion exchange

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. David N Tippett
   2. Colum Breen
   3. Stephen J Butler
   4. Marta Sawicka
   5. Raimund Dutzler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important manuscript combines cryo-EM and a suite of compelling whole cell and proteoliposome transport assays to establish the mechanism and structure of the full-length human SLC26A6 chloride/bicarbonate exchangers, including the first partial view of the previously unresolved IVS region of an SLC26 STAS domain. In combination with prior studies on additional SLC26 paralogs, including the SLC26A9 paralog initially reported by the same group, the study provides broadly relevant insights into the mechanistic diversity of the SLC26 transporters. This study is of interest to the biophysics community and the field of membrane transport.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. CRB3 navigates Rab11 trafficking vesicles to promote γTuRC assembly during ciliogenesis

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Bo Wang
   2. Zheyong Liang
   3. Tan Tan
   4. Miao Zhang
   5. Yina Jiang
   6. Yangyang Shang
   7. Xiaoqian Gao
   8. Shaoran Song
   9. Ruiqi Wang
   10. He Chen
   11. Jie Liu
   12. Juan Li
   13. Yu Ren
   14. Peijun Liu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is a useful study for scientists interested in cell polarity, epithelial morphogenesis, cancer, and primary cilia. The authors investigate the role of CRB3 in regulating these processes by using a combination of a mammary epithelial cell-specific conditional Crb3 knockout mouse model, and cellular, molecular and biochemical approaches. The results, which are solid, supporting and extending previous findings, suggest that CRB3 affects ciliogenesis by a mechanism involving Rab11 and gamma-TuRC.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Striatal ensemble activity in an innate naturalistic behavior

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Samuel Minkowicz
   2. Mychaela Alexandria Mathews
   3. Felicia Hoilam Mou
   4. Hyoseo Yoon
   5. Sara Nicole Freda
   6. Ethan S Cui
   7. Ann Kennedy
   8. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study evaluated how naturalistic behaviors are encoded in the striatum by analyzing neural ensembles engaged during grooming behavior. The study shows that neural responses are highly heterogeneous during grooming, but ensembles were detected in which units were more correlated during grooming than during the entire session. This study presents an important contribution to the field by shedding light on how ensembles of neurons encode innate behavior. The results are convincing.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Extensive remodelling of the cell wall during the development of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Edward JA Douglas
   2. Nathanael Palk
   3. Tarcisio Brignoli
   4. Dina Altwiley
   5. Marcia Boura
   6. Maisem Laabei
   7. Mario Recker
   8. Gordon YC Cheung
   9. Ryan Liu
   10. Roger C Hsieh
   11. Michael Otto
   12. Eoin O'Brien
   13. Rachel M McLoughlin
   14. Ruth C Massey

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study uses an innovative GWAS approach and targeted testing to highlight S. aureus genes that modify susceptibility to serum, serum-derived antimicrobial products, and commonly used antibiotics. These findings are significant in that they highlight evidence of evolution of virulence determinants in the setting of exposure to host stressors expected to be present during bacteremia and antibiotic therapy. Compelling results build on a foundation of work attributing loss-of-function mutations in tcaA to glycopeptide non-susceptibility.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Energy coupling and stoichiometry of Zn2+/H+ antiport by the prokaryotic cation diffusion facilitator YiiP

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Adel Hussein
   2. Shujie Fan
   3. Maria Lopez-Redondo
   4. Ian Kenney
   5. Xihui Zhang
   6. Oliver Beckstein
   7. David L Stokes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important and elegant study uses experimental structural data, ion affinity measurements, and computational methods to provide insight into the thermodynamic landscape of cation transporters of the Cation Diffusion Facilitator (CDF) superfamily, together with a detailed structural investigation of the role of the three zinc(II) binding sites of the YiiP family member. Overall, the support for the proposed transport cycle of YiiP is compelling. This work will be of interest to biologists and biophysics who work with membrane transporters.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Single-cell RNA sequencing unravels the transcriptional network underlying zebrafish retina regeneration

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Laura Celotto
   2. Fabian Rost
   3. Anja Machate
   4. Juliane Bläsche
   5. Andreas Dahl
   6. Anke Weber
   7. Stefan Hans
   8. Michael Brand

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Müller glial cells of the zebrafish retina can differentiate into all neural cell classes following injury, providing full regenerative capabilities of the zebrafish retina. This valuable study presents a description of transcriptional changes of Müller glia cells in the adult and regenerating retina using single-cell RNA sequencing. The overall evidence supporting the main claims of the authors is solid.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signaling drives placental aging and can provoke preterm labor

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Erin J Ciampa
   2. Padraich Flahardy
   3. Harini Srinivasan
   4. Christopher Jacobs
   5. Linus Tsai
   6. S Ananth Karumanchi
   7. Samir M Parikh

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study provides insights into mechanisms of placental aging and its relationship to labor initiation. The authors provide solid evidence and have thoroughly investigated the molecular characteristics of normal placental aging using in vivo and in vitro model systems and human placental tissue analysis to corroborate their findings. This work contributes to existing work in placental aging and preterm birth and will be of interest to reproductive scientists.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Linking genotypic and phenotypic changes in the E. coli long-term evolution experiment using metabolomics

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. John S Favate
   2. Kyle S Skalenko
   3. Eric Chiles
   4. Xiaoyang Su
   5. Srujana Samhita Yadavalli
   6. Premal Shah

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study presents convincing evidence that metabolite levels in Escherichia coli bacteria from a long-term evolution experiment have changed in consistent ways, which in turn can be explained by recurrent mutations in regulatory genes that affect enzyme expression levels. The use of high-resolution mass spectrometry measuring bulk metabolite levels, in combination with existing gene expression and DNA sequencing datasets provides valuable information linking changes in an organism's genome, transcriptome, and metabolome.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. A tRNA modification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis facilitates optimal intracellular growth

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Francesca G Tomasi
   2. Satoshi Kimura
   3. Eric J Rubin
   4. Matthew K Waldor

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is a valuable addition to the literature as it helps us understand the role of tRNA modifying enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By knocking out one of the enzymes, the authors convincingly demonstrate the importance of tRNA-modifying enzymes for intra-host growth of tubercle bacteria. Some of the claims regarding modification as well as the role in virulence could be strengthened through further bioinformatics and phylogenetic analyses as well as experimental approaches. The work will be of interest to microbiologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. DNA damage signaling in Drosophila macrophages modulates systemic cytokine levels in response to oxidative stress

    This article has 11 authors:

    1. Fabian Hersperger
    2. Tim Meyring
    3. Pia Weber
    4. Chintan Chhatbar
    5. Gianni Monaco
    6. Marc S Dionne
    7. Katrin Paeschke
    8. Marco Prinz
    9. Olaf Groß
    10. Anne-Kathrin Classen
    11. Katrin Kierdorf

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study elucidates the role of a specific hemocyte subpopulation in oxidative damage response by establishing connections between DNA damage response and the JNK-JAK/STAT axis to regulate energy metabolism. The identification of this distinct hemocyte subpopulation through single-cell RNA sequencing analysis and the finding of hemocytes that respond to oxidative stress are important. The method for single-cell RNA sequencing and related analyses are convincing and experiments linking oxidative stress to DNA damage and energy expenditure are solid. The finding of stress-responsive immune cells capable of influencing whole-body metabolism adds insights for cell biologists and developmental biologists in the fields of immunology and metabolism.

    Reviewed by eLife