eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. The dark kinase STK32A regulates hair cell planar polarity opposite of EMX2 in the developing mouse inner ear

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Shihai Jia
   2. Evan M Ratzan
   3. Ellison J Goodrich
   4. Raisa Abrar
   5. Luke Heiland
   6. Basile Tarchini
   7. Michael R Deans

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study advances our understanding of the molecular players downstream of the transcription factor Emx2 that establish planar cell polarity in hair cells of the mammalian inner ear. The conclusions, which are supported by compelling evidence, will be of interest to those studying the development and function of the vestibular system and mechanisms of planar cell polarity.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. High-resolution structures with bound Mn2+ and Cd2+ map the metal import pathway in an Nramp transporter

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Shamayeeta Ray
   2. Samuel P Berry
   3. Eric A Wilson
   4. Casey H Zhang
   5. Mrinal Shekhar
   6. Abhishek Singharoy
   7. Rachelle Gaudet

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript provides fundamental new insight into protein conformational transitions underlying the transport mechanism of Nramps, an important and widespread transporter family that facilitates the uptake and movement of essential transition metals. Eight new crystallographic structures of the prokaryotic homolog draNRMP in a variety of ligand-bound and conformational states, along with companion molecular dynamics simulations and metal binding and transport assays, provide compelling evidence supporting most of the conclusions. These findings will be of broad interest to scientists studying transport mechanisms and ligand recognition.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Inferential eye movement control while following dynamic gaze

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Nicole Xiao Han
   2. Miguel Patricio Eckstein

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work substantially advances our understanding of how human eye movements are shaped by social cues. Using clever experimental manipulations and innovative artificial intelligence analysis tools, the paper identifies distinctive patterns of saccadic eye movements tracking another person's gaze during dynamic video-scene viewing. This work will be of broad interest to psychologists, biologists, and neuroscientists interested in human social behavior.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Down the Penrose stairs, or how selection for fewer recombination hotspots maintains their existence

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Zachary Baker
   2. Molly Przeworski
   3. Guy Sella

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study reports an important theoretical model with simulations of meiotic recombination hotspots and Prdm9 evolution. By integrating recently identified biological properties of Prdm9, the model provides compelling evidence for novel features of hotspots and Prdm9 evolution. Yet, the model, the different steps in implementing parameters, and the predictions are difficult to follow and would benefit from clarification.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. The functional form of value normalization in human reinforcement learning

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Sophie Bavard
   2. Stefano Palminteri

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     It is well established that valuation and value-based decision making is context-dependent, but the exact form of normalization has remained an open question. This study provides compelling evidence that values during reward learning are normalized based on the range of available values. These findings will be important for researchers interested in reward learning and decision-making.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Carm1-arginine methylation of the transcription factor C/EBPα regulates transdifferentiation velocity

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Guillem Torcal Garcia
   2. Elisabeth Kowenz-Leutz
   3. Tian V Tian
   4. Antonis Klonizakis
   5. Jonathan Lerner
   6. Luisa De Andres-Aguayo
   7. Valeriia Sapozhnikova
   8. Clara Berenguer
   9. Marcos Plana Carmona
   10. Maria Vila Casadesus
   11. Romain Bulteau
   12. Mirko Francesconi
   13. Sandra Peiro
   14. Philipp Mertins
   15. Kenneth Zaret
   16. Achim Leutz
   17. Thomas Graf

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important manuscript describes how methylation of a single arginine residue in a transcription factor, C/EBPα, can alter dynamics of cell fate transition. The study provides one of the most striking examples of the transcription factor regulation by methylation and is well-executed, with compelling evidence to support the authors' claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Peptides that Mimic RS repeats modulate phase separation of SRSF1, revealing a reliance on combined stacking and electrostatic interactions

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Talia Fargason
   2. Naiduwadura Ivon Upekala De Silva
   3. Erin Powell
   4. Zihan Zhang
   5. Trenton Paul
   6. Jamal Shariq
   7. Steve Zaharias
   8. Jun Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study convincingly demonstrates that the splicing factor SRSF1 can be solubilized in the presence of short RS or ER-containing peptides, and uses this discovery to determine the solution NMR structure of SRSF1, as well as to map its interactions with RS peptides. These findings are important in that SR proteins are key regulators of alternative splicing but their study has been greatly hampered by their low solubility. The development of a general method that allows the structural and biochemical analysis of SR proteins in solution will have broad applications.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Immunopeptidomics reveals determinants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen presentation on MHC class I

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Owen Leddy
   2. Forest M White
   3. Bryan D Bryson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This landmark study uses compelling approaches such as quantitative and screening mass spectrometry to identify peptides from tuberculosis bacteria that are presented by macrophages infected with this pathogen. The authors provide convincing evidence that the presentation of these antigens depends on a specialist bacterial secretion system. The study will be of interest to infectious disease specialists and of particular value for future vaccine development.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Caveolae and Bin1 form ring-shaped platforms for T-tubule initiation

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Eline Lemerle
   2. Jeanne Lainé
   3. Marion Benoist
   4. Gilles Moulay
   5. Anne Bigot
   6. Clémence Labasse
   7. Angéline Madelaine
   8. Alexis Canette
   9. Perrine Aubin
   10. Jean-Michel Vallat
   11. Norma B Romero
   12. Marc Bitoun
   13. Vincent Mouly
   14. Isabelle Marty
   15. Bruno Cadot
   16. Laura Picas
   17. Stéphane Vassilopoulos

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Lemerle et al utilize advanced correlative light and electron microscopy and molecular biology approaches to convincingly demonstrate the presence of the membrane-bending protein Bin1 and caveolae containing rings capable of membrane tubulation in developing muscle. The data is highly significant as it potentially advances our fundamental understanding of how transverse tubules are formed, a significant gap in our understanding of excitation-contraction coupling and muscle biology more broadly.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Defining basic rules for hardening influenza A virus liquid condensates

    This article has 10 authors:

    1. Temitope Akhigbe Etibor
    2. Silvia Vale-Costa
    3. Sindhuja Sridharan
    4. Daniela Brás
    5. Isabelle Becher
    6. Victor Hugo Mello
    7. Filipe Ferreira
    8. Marta Alenquer
    9. Mikhail M Savitski
    10. Maria-João Amorim

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      The work presented is fundamental to the field of negative-sense RNA viruses. It showcases a compelling set of ideas and approaches to study some physicochemical properties of organelles in live cells during a viral infection. However, the conclusions could benefit by adding a deeper theoretical approach and additional experimental support.

    Reviewed by eLife