eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Kiaa1024L/Minar2 is essential for hearing by regulating cholesterol distribution in hair bundles

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ge Gao
   2. Shuyu Guo
   3. Quan Zhang
   4. Hefei Zhang
   5. Cuizhen Zhang
   6. Gang Peng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Mutations in MINAR2 causes deafness in human and mice. Loss of function of Minar2 in mice causes a reduction of stereocilia and subsequent hair cell degeneration but the underlying mechanism is unclear. This zebrafish study demonstrated that the Minar2 protein interacts with cholesterol and is localized to the stereocilia of hair cells. The loss of Minar2 reduces cholesterol enrichment in the stereocilia with concomitant accumulation in lysosomes. Thus, this study provides the mechanistic insight of Minar2 and the first glimpse at the importance of cholesterol homeostasis in hair cell function.

     (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Hepatic lipid overload triggers biliary epithelial cell activation via E2Fs

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Ece Yildiz
   2. Gaby El Alam
   3. Alessia Perino
   4. Antoine Jalil
   5. Pierre-Damien Denechaud
   6. Katharina Huber
   7. Lluis Fajas
   8. Johan Auwerx
   9. Giovanni Sorrentino
   10. Kristina Schoonjans

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reports that a high-fat diet induces biliary epithelial cell proliferation and suggests this may account for the so-called ductular reaction in advanced fatty liver disease. Convincing data support the finding that the transcription factor E2F1 is required for biliary epithelial cell proliferation in mice fed with a high-fat diet, and organoid models indicate that lipid abundance promotes glycolysis in an E2F-dependent manner. These findings are potentially of broad interest to the field of liver biology and disease.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Maternal obesity blunts antimicrobial responses in fetal monocytes

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Suhas Sureshchandra
   2. Brianna M Doratt
   3. Norma Mendza
   4. Oleg Varlamov
   5. Monica Rincon
   6. Nicole E Marshall
   7. Ilhem Messaoudi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is an important manuscript that will be of interest to a broad range of researchers studying immunology, obesity and metabolism, as well as the links between maternal health and pathophysiological responses in the offspring. The comprehensive studies using RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, ATAC-seq and scATAC-seq in human umbilical cord monocytes represent an important resource for understanding the transcriptomic and epigenetic shifts in the monocytes of newborns. The experiments involving stimulation of monocytes with pathogens offer convincing evidence for the dysfunction of monocytes in the newborn.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Invigorating human MSCs for transplantation therapy via Nrf2/DKK1 co-stimulation in a mice acute-on-chronic liver failure model

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Feng Chen
   2. Zhaodi Che
   3. Yingxia Liu
   4. Pingping Luo
   5. Lu Xiao
   6. Yali Song
   7. Cunchuan Wang
   8. Zhiyong Dong
   9. Mianhuan Li
   10. George L. Tipoe
   11. Dongqing Wu
   12. Min Yang
   13. Yi Lv
   14. Fei Wang
   15. Hua Wang
   16. Jia Xiao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Chen et al. demonstrate a pro-survival role of the NRF2/DKK1 axis in mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, the authors provide evidence that targeting this pathway can enhance survival in response to liver failure in vivo. These data highlight a novel signaling pathway to enhance efficacy of MSCs in promoting regeneration.

     (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Dissecting the phase separation and oligomerization activities of the carboxysome positioning protein McdB

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Joseph L Basalla
   2. Claudia A Mak
   3. Jordan A Byrne
   4. Maria Ghalmi
   5. Y Hoang
   6. Anthony G Vecchiarelli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Carboxysomes enable the efficient fixation of carbon dioxide in specific bacteria. Phase separation has been invoked as a mechanism that drives the formation of carboxysomes. The current work focuses on the biophysical principles of how one of two essential specific protein components enable spatial regulation over carboxysomes. This important work highlights the connection between oligomerization via specific molecular interactions and phase separation. The work is of interest to the areas of biochemistry and carbon dioxide fixation as well as phase separation.

     (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by Arcadia Science, eLife

6. Single-cell transcriptomics identifies Keap1-Nrf2 regulated collective invasion in a Drosophila tumor model

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Deeptiman Chatterjee
   2. Caique Almeida Machado Costa
   3. Xian-Feng Wang
   4. Allison Jevitt
   5. Yi-Chun Huang
   6. Wu-Min Deng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Drosophila ovarian follicle cells have been utilized as a model system to study organogenesis and epithelial tumorigenesis. The analysis of single-cell transcriptomes of follicle cells now shows that transcriptionally distinct cell populations emerge shortly after induction of loss of polarity. Strengths of the work include the use of advanced single cell omics and imaging analyses to identify cell types and factors playing a role the disruption of polarity and the implications of this work for epithelial cancers. The authors' claims are generally well supported by the data and analyses. Weaknesses include the lack of high magnification images and need to clarify motivation for the study and highlight the biology rather than technical advances in the results section. Overall, this work is viewed as an important contribution to cell biologists who work on the epithelial morphogenesis or tumorigenesis.

     (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1, Reviewer #2 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Discrete GPCR-triggered endocytic modes enable β-arrestins to flexibly regulate cell signaling

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Benjamin Barsi-Rhyne
   2. Aashish Manglik
   3. Mark von Zastrow

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript addresses G protein-coupled receptor signaling and proposes an additional site on Beta-arrestin2 (arrestin 3) as being responsible, in significant part, for the downregulation and likely onward signalling from endosomes of a range of GPCRs. The cell biology appears to be thoroughly carried out and data presented in a statistically appropriate manner. With some textual changes and minor experimental clarification of the route taken and molecules involved, this work will be of broad interest.

     (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The role of adolescent lifestyle habits in biological aging: A prospective twin study

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Anna Kankaanpää
   2. Asko Tolvanen
   3. Aino Heikkinen
   4. Jaakko Kaprio
   5. Miina Ollikainen
   6. Elina Sillanpää

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper provides evidence that an unhealthy lifestyle during adolescence accelerates epigenetic age in adulthood, and that these associations are largely explained by the effect of shared genetic influences. The main strengths of this valuable paper are the relatively large sample size, longitudinal assessment of lifestyle factors, and sophisticated statistical analyses. The paper is methodologically compelling and will be of interest for a broad audience, including individuals working on methylation, epidemiology, and/or ageing.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Spatiotemporal organisation of human sensorimotor beta burst activity

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Catharina Zich
   2. Andrew J Quinn
   3. James J Bonaiuto
   4. George O'Neill
   5. Lydia C Mardell
   6. Nick S Ward
   7. Sven Bestmann

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The authors use high spatial resolution MEG in humans to link two important components (time - transient bursts, space - waves) of neural sensorimotor dynamics by investigating how transient beta bursts propagate in the brain. The authors find two directions of propagating waves during beta bursts. The work links two fundamental aspects of neural dynamics which may yield new insights into the origins of sensorimotor behavior, with wide appeal to neuroscientists and clinicians. The reviewers considered the methodological work largely sound, although concerns were raised by the reviewers to what extent the travelling waves correspond to underlying neural activity or reflect the generative nature of field potentials.

     (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Cellular features of localized microenvironments in human meniscal degeneration: a single-cell transcriptomic study

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Weili Fu
    2. Sijie Chen
    3. Runze Yang
    4. Chen Li
    5. Haoxiang Gao
    6. Jian Li
    7. Xuegong Zhang

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This paper will be of interest to researchers studying meniscus homeostasis and knee osteoarthritis. It uncovers distinct subtypes of cell populations in inner and outer part of human meniscus using single-cell RNA sequencing. In particular, this work further identifies how alterations in meniscal cell populations may contribute to inflammation and osteoarthritis and thus serves as a resource paper for the field.

      (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

    Reviewed by eLife