eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Distinct neurexin-cerebellin complexes control AMPA- and NMDA-receptor responses in a circuit-dependent manner

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Jinye Dai
   2. Kif Liakath-Ali
   3. Samantha Rose Golf
   4. Thomas C Südhof

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript is of broad interest to neuroscientists studying mechanisms regulating synapse formation and maintenance. Following up on the previous work by the authors on trans-synaptic signaling complexes involving neurexins and cerebellins, this study shows that the basic framework of the complexes operates broadly across different synapses in the brain albeit with subtle differences. The experiments are carefully executed, while some key conclusions could be better supported by additional data.

     (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

2. Normative decision rules in changing environments

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Nicholas W Barendregt
   2. Joshua I Gold
   3. Krešimir Josić
   4. Zachary P Kilpatrick

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper investigates scenarios in which the environment changes during the course of a decision, and shows that optimal behavior can be highly complex. It will be of broad interest to researchers in psychology, behavioural economics, and neuroscience interested in decision-making in real-world tasks. It also awaits detailed empirical testing.

     (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

3. Consequences of PDGFRα+ fibroblast reduction in adult murine hearts

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Jill T Kuwabara
   2. Akitoshi Hara
   3. Sumit Bhutada
   4. Greg S Gojanovich
   5. Jasmine Chen
   6. Kanani Hokutan
   7. Vikram Shettigar
   8. Anson Y Lee
   9. Lydia P DeAngelo
   10. Jack R Heckl
   11. Julia R Jahansooz
   12. Dillon K Tacdol
   13. Mark T Ziolo
   14. Suneel S Apte
   15. Michelle D Tallquist

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     A murine genetic platform reducing fibroblast expression shows normal background indicators of cardiac structure and contractile function. Yet it shows a reduced functional compromise, on ischemic or hypertrophic challenge. This suggests its value for studies of the effect of fibrosis following normal or pathological change.

     (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 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Evolution of cell size control is canalized towards adders or sizers by cell cycle structure and selective pressures

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Felix Proulx-Giraldeau
   2. Jan M Skotheim
   3. Paul François

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper develops evolutionary simulations to identify the type of molecular networks that can give rise to size control. We now know a lot about the functional consequences and underlying molecular biology of different cell size control strategies, but comparatively less about which factors select for particular mechanisms. The authors address this point in an evolutionary framework. They show that the evolution of a specific cell size control mechanism is dependent on the cell cycle structure. The paper will interest researchers in development, evolution, and physics of biological systems.

     (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 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

5. DNA passes through cohesin’s hinge as well as its Smc3–kleisin interface

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. James E Collier
   2. Kim A Nasmyth

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper addresses the mechanism of entrapment of DNA in the cohesin SMC complex. Through a series of biochemical studies, the paper convincingly demonstrates that DNA enters cohesin rings through the hinge and SMC3/SCC1 interfaces. How such entrapment is regulated is important for different biological activities including sister chromatid cohesion and the formation of DNA loops. The paper will be of interest to researchers in SMC biology, DNA recombination and 3D genome organization.

     (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

6. Self-organization of songbird neural sequences during social isolation

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Emily L Mackevicius
   2. Shijie Gu
   3. Natalia I Denisenko
   4. Michale S Fee

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Adult zebra finch song is highly stereotyped, and it is driven by correspondingly stereotyped neural sequences in premotor cortical nucleus HVC. By imaging HVC activity in juvenile birds isolated from social contact with tutors, the authors discover that stereotyped HVC sequences can exist even without exposure to tutor song. Interestingly, after tutoring, existing sequences in the HVC of isolate birds transitioned from being uncoupled to vocal output to highly coupled to newly copied tutor syllables. Together, these data provide a fascinating glimpse into mechanistic foundations of how nature and nurture work together to a learned motor sequence.

     (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

7. Ligand-induced shifts in conformational ensembles that describe transcriptional activation

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Sabab Hasan Khan
   2. Sean M Braet
   3. Stephen John Koehler
   4. Elizabeth Elacqua
   5. Ganesh Srinivasan Anand
   6. C Denise Okafor

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript will be of broad interest to readers in the fields of biochemistry, structural, molecular, and evolutionary biology. It outlines a systematic approach in characterizing nuclear receptor ligands based on the conformational ensemble of the receptor, further exploring the idea that perturbation of the ensemble orchestrates function. The results from the combined use of experiments and simulation are promising, suggesting that the change in the ensemble is responsible for 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 #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Metamorphosis of memory circuits in Drosophila reveals a strategy for evolving a larval brain

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. James W Truman
   2. Jacquelyn Price
   3. Rosa L Miyares
   4. Tzumin Lee

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The complete metamorphosis of the higher insects is one of the most fascinating and complex processes in nature: The discrepancy in form and function between larvae, pupa, and adult insects is breathtaking, begging the question of how these forms and functions can so seamlessly follow each other. For the highest-order brain centre of the insects, the mushroom body, the authors provide a masterpiece analysis of this process at the cellular level. Given the breadth and depth of the data that the authors present, the current study will serve as a reference for the field of developmental neuroscience for many years to come; this study is eagerly awaited in the field. Perhaps ever more importantly, the insights into the relationship between evolutionary development and individual development at the cellular level might have a profound and lasting conceptual impact on life and natural sciences.

     (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

9. Mother cells control daughter cell proliferation in intestinal organoids to minimize proliferation fluctuations

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Guizela Huelsz-Prince
   2. Rutger Nico Ulbe Kok
   3. Yvonne Goos
   4. Lotte Bruens
   5. Xuan Zheng
   6. Saskia Ellenbroek
   7. Jacco Van Rheenen
   8. Sander Tans
   9. Jeroen S van Zon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper is a fundamental work in developmental biology that supports its findings with compelling evidence drawn from both theoretical and experiment insights. This work will be of interest to researchers in the fields of developmental and stem cell biology as it provides a potentially general mechanism for the control of a proliferative cell population.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Pancreatic tumors exhibit myeloid-driven amino acid stress and upregulate arginine biosynthesis

    This article has 18 authors:

    1. Juan J Apiz Saab
    2. Lindsey N Dzierozynski
    3. Patrick B Jonker
    4. Roya AminiTabrizi
    5. Hardik Shah
    6. Rosa Elena Menjivar
    7. Andrew J Scott
    8. Zeribe C Nwosu
    9. Zhou Zhu
    10. Riona N Chen
    11. Moses Oh
    12. Colin Sheehan
    13. Daniel R Wahl
    14. Marina Pasca di Magliano
    15. Costas A Lyssiotis
    16. Kay F Macleod
    17. Christopher R Weber
    18. Alexander Muir

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This study builds on previous observations of arginine depletion in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, with the goal of developing and using a cell culture medium (TIFM) that better recapitulates nutrient levels in the TME. With this system, the authors identify arginine biosynthesis as an adaptation of pancreatic cancer cells to arginine starvation. This work reinforces a timely message that builds upon the push for optimizing and reformulating cell culture media, so as to improve fidelity, and better recapitulation of physiological/pathophysiological cellular behavior. The latter is in turn critical for translational and therapeutic applications. The work will be of interest to tumor biologists.

      (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 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

    Reviewed by eLife