eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Activity-dependent lateral inhibition enables the synchronization of olfactory bulb projection neurons

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Tal Dalal
   2. Rafi Haddad

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study provides in vivo evidence for the synchronization of projection neurons in the olfactory bulb at gamma frequency in an activity-dependent manner. This study uses optogenetics in combination with single-cell recordings to selectively activate sensory input channels within the olfactory bulb. The data are thoughtfully analyzed and presented; the evidence is solid, although some of the conclusions are only partially supported.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Recurrent disruption of tumour suppressor genes in cancer by somatic mutations in cleavage and polyadenylation signals

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Yaroslav Kainov
   2. Fursham Hamid
   3. Eugene V Makeyev

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study substantially advances our understanding of noncoding somatic mutations by identifying a novel class of mutations that affect 3'UTR polyadenylation signals enriched in tumor suppressor genes in cancer. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with rigorous statistical analyses. The work will be of broad interest to cancer researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Telomerase RNA component knockout exacerbates S. aureus pneumonia by extensive inflammation and dysfunction of T cells

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Yasmina Reisser
   2. Franziska Hornung
   3. Antje Häder
   4. Thurid Lauf
   5. Sandor Nietzsche
   6. Bettina Löffler
   7. Stefanie Deinhardt-Emmer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this manuscript, the authors sought to elucidate mechanistic intricacies of inflammatory responses, with emphasis on T cell dysfunction, to S. aureus-induced pneumonia in the context of aging process using Terc deficient mice. Conceptually, the study is very interesting with a set of useful findings. Although some experimental approaches are appropriate, the work as shown in the revised manuscript remains significantly underpowered and the absence of rigorous controls make this study incomplete in support of its claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Endothelin B receptor inhibition rescues aging-dependent neuronal regenerative decline

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Rui Feng
   2. Sarah F Rosen
   3. Irshad Ansari
   4. Sebastian John
   5. Michael B Thomsen
   6. Cedric G Geoffroy
   7. Valeria Cavalli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The study presents a valuable finding that the Endothelin B receptor (ETBR) expressed by the satellite glial cells (SGCs) in the dorsal root ganglions (DRG) inhibited sensory axon regeneration in both adult and aged mice. The evidence supporting most of the conclusions was solid, and the work will be of interest to neuroscientists working on axon regeneration and the involvement of non-neuronal cell types in regulating axon regeneration. Although the proposed mechanism is intriguing and the methodology is robust, the molecular mechanisms by which ETBR regulates axon regeneration are not fully elucidated.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Systematic genetic characterization of the human PKR kinase domain highlights its functional malleability to escape a poxvirus substrate mimic

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Michael James Chambers
   2. Sophia B Scobell
   3. Meru J Sadhu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important revised report describes the control of the activity of the RNA-activated protein kinase, PKR, by the Vaccinia virus K3 protein. A strength of the manuscript is the powerful combination of a classic yeast-based assay with high-throughput sequencing and its convincing experimental use to characterize large numbers of PKR variants, now with improved controls for potential biases. A minor current limitation that the authors may address in the future is the scope of the screen in terms of the segments of PKR included.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. AVN: A Deep Learning Approach for the Analysis of Birdsong

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Therese MI Koch
   2. Ethan S Marks
   3. Todd F Roberts

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work introduces a Python package, Avian Vocalization Analysis (AVN) that provides several key analysis pipelines for segmentation, annotation, and visualization of zebra finch song. AVN can be used to predict the stage of song development, quantify acoustic similarity, and detect abnormalities associated with deprived auditory feedback or social isolation. The methods are solid and are likely to provide a useful tool for scientists aiming to automate the analysis of large datasets of zebra finch vocalizations.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Impaired yolk sac NAD metabolism disrupts murine embryogenesis with relevance to human birth defects

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Kayleigh Bozon
   2. Hartmut Cuny
   3. Delicia Z. Sheng
   4. Ella M. M. A. Martin
   5. Alena Sipka
   6. Paul Young
   7. David T. Humphreys
   8. Sally L. Dunwoodie

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The manuscript reports fundamental findings that extra-embryonic visceral yolk sac endoderm is critical for NAD de novo synthesis during early organogenesis, and perturbations of this pathway may cause Congenital NAD Deficiency Disorder. The supporting evidence is solid. This work will be of interest to developmental biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on cardiovascular function in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients: a safety study

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Gansheng Tan
   2. Anna L. Huguenard
   3. Kara M. Donovan
   4. Phillip Demarest
   5. Xiaoxuan Liu
   6. Ziwei Li
   7. Markus Adamek
   8. Kory Lavine
   9. Ananth K. Vellimana
   10. Terrance T. Kummer
   11. Joshua W. Osbun
   12. Gregory J. Zipfel
   13. Peter Brunner
   14. Eric C. Leuthardt

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study evaluated the role of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) randomized to taVNS vs sham, finding that those with active taVNS exhibited increased parasympathetic activity. The findings are important and cross-disciplinary, while the level of evidence is solid.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Zebrafish live imaging reveals only around 2% rather than 50% of motor neurons die through apoptosis during early development

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Hao Jia
   2. Hongmei Yang
   3. Kathy Qian Luo

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors have developed a biosensor for programmed cell-death. They use this biosensor to provide valuable measurements of cell death in a specific early time window of development. However, the title and the discussion suggest a broader window of applicability of the results. The evidence supporting the claims is therefore incomplete. The authors should modify the introduction and discussion to examine their work in the context of extant literature and modify their title to reflect the conclusion that "Zebrafish live imaging reveals around 2%of motor neurons die through apoptosis during a 24-120 hour window in early development".

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Stimulus representation in human frontal cortex supports flexible control in working memory

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Zhujun Shao
    2. Mengya Zhang
    3. Qing Yu

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This work presents valuable findings that the human frontal cortex is involved in a flexible, dual role in both maintaining information in short-term memory, and controlling this memory content to guide adaptive behavior and decisions. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with a well-designed task, best-practice decoding methods, and careful control analyses. The work will be of broad interest to cognitive neuroscience researchers working on working memory and cognitive control.

    Reviewed by eLife