eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Vein fate determined by flow-based but time-delayed integration of network architecture

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Sophie Marbach
   2. Noah Ziethen
   3. Leonie Bastin
   4. Felix K Bäuerle
   5. Karen Alim

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Fluid flows in networks are ubiquitous, and in many living systems the networks are not static but instead can rearrange over time. Using vascular networks formed by the slime mold Physarum polycephalum, Marcbach et al. demonstrate that there is a time delay between the change in the flow and the change in the network geometry. They present a mechanical model of vein-radius adaptation leveraging the negative normal stress response of the actin cytoskeletal network lining the vein walls. More generally, the authors make use of the unique advantage of this simple model vascular system to connect the local shear rate to the network reorganisation and how it depends on its architecture. There are features to their work that are new to the literature and that can be impactful in advancing 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. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Artificially stimulating retrotransposon activity increases mortality and accelerates a subset of aging phenotypes in Drosophila

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Joyce Rigal
   2. Ane Martin Anduaga
   3. Elena Bitman
   4. Emma Rivellese
   5. Sebastian Kadener
   6. Michael T Marr

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript examines the role of transposable element (TE) expression and the transcription factor FOXO on aging of Drosophila melanogaster. Increased TE expression in aged organisms compared to their younger counterparts has been observed in several animals, including Drosophila. Here, the authors show that artificially inducing transcription of a specific TE can reduce fly lifespan and exacerbate some aging phenotypes-paraquat resistance and rhythmicity. The authors also argue that the detrimental effects of increased TE expression can be rescued by FOXO expression, although this is less convincing.

     (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

3. Distance estimation from monocular cues in an ethological visuomotor task

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Philip RL Parker
   2. Elliott TT Abe
   3. Natalie T Beatie
   4. Emmalyn SP Leonard
   5. Dylan M Martins
   6. Shelby L Sharp
   7. David G Wyrick
   8. Luca Mazzucato
   9. Cristopher M Niell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper establishes a visually mediated gap-jumping behavioral task in freely moving mice, and shows that mice can perform the task using only monocular cues with little performance deficit, perhaps at the cost of additional active sensing movements before executing the jumping maneuver. Further, using acute optogenetic inhibition, the authors establish that the primary visual cortex is used to perform this task. Using vision to judge distance - such as the width of a gap to be crossed - is crucial for survival across taxa, and this new paradigm could be informative to those interested in using mice to study such vision-based estimation under naturalistic conditions.

     (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. Innate immune signaling in trophoblast and decidua organoids defines differential antiviral defenses at the maternal-fetal interface

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Liheng Yang
   2. Eleanor C Semmes
   3. Cristian Ovies
   4. Christina Megli
   5. Sallie Permar
   6. Jennifer B Gilner
   7. Carolyn B Coyne

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Yang et al. provide a scientifically sound and compelling manuscript characterizing mid-to-late gestation trophoblast and decidual organoids as ex vivo models to study vertically transmitted microbial infections, using human cytomegalovirus as a model pathogen. They demonstrate organoids have tissue-specific immunological responses and susceptibilities to viral infection.

     (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

5. Recalibrating vision-for-action requires years after sight restoration from congenital cataracts

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Irene Senna
   2. Sophia Piller
   3. Itay Ben-Zion
   4. Marc O Ernst

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper will be of interest to researchers in the fields of motor control, visual perception, learning and brain plasticity, sight loss and rehabilitation. The paper shows the contributions of sensory-motor experience to the development of visuo-motor recalibration abilities using careful experimental methods and analyses, comparing a rare population of late-operated cataract patients with control groups.

     (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

6. Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the ribonucleotide reductase family reveals an ancestral clade

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Andrew A Burnim
   2. Matthew A Spence
   3. Da Xu
   4. Colin J Jackson
   5. Nozomi Ando

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation summary

     Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) have fascinated biologists and chemists, as these enzymes catalyze the conversion of ribonucleotides (NDPs or NTPs) to deoxynucleotides (dNDP or dNTPs), which are essential for DNA biosynthesis in all organisms. Given this role, they have been postulated to be the link in the transition from an RNA/protein to a DNA world. In addition, RNRs use an array of protein, metal-based, and nucleotide radicals for the reaction they catalyze. This paper creatively combines two methods of analysis to propose a new evolutionary model for the diversification observed for the RNR family into the three classes: I, II and III. The work is of interest to students of molecular evolution, RNRs and colleagues interested in the origin of life.

     (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. Satellite glia modulate sympathetic neuron survival, activity, and autonomic function

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Aurelia A Mapps
   2. Erica Boehm
   3. Corinne Beier
   4. William T Keenan
   5. Jennifer Langel
   6. Michael Liu
   7. Michael B Thomsen
   8. Samer Hattar
   9. Haiqing Zhao
   10. Emmanouil Tampakakis
   11. Rejji Kuruvilla

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The role of satellite glial cells in the sympathetic nervous system has not been extensively investigated. Using targeted ablation of SGCs, the authors demonstrate that satellite glia has a profound effect on neuronal activity and the survival of sympathetic neurons. The peripheral sympathetic system is responsible for a wide spectrum of activities, including blood flow, heart rate, respiration, and digestion.

     (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 conjunctive representations in prioritizing and selecting planned actions

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Atsushi Kikumoto
   2. Ulrich Mayr
   3. David Badre

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Kikumoto and colleagues explore the question of how stimulus- and response-related mental representations are stored and selected in working memory. The authors use a combination of decoding and representational similarity analysis on EEG data to provide evidence for conjunctive representations of action plans. This work would potentially be of great interest to readers in the field of working memory, motor preparation, and selective attention.

     (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

9. Pallidal neuromodulation of the explore/exploit trade-off in decision-making

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Ana Luisa de A Marcelino
   2. Owen Gray
   3. Bassam Al-Fatly
   4. William Gilmour
   5. J Douglas Steele
   6. Andrea A Kühn
   7. Tom Gilbertson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper presents an exploitation/exploration paradigm using a model-based approach in 18 patients treated with GPi DBS for Tourette's syndrome. Their main observation is that despite DBS (used as a proxy of GPi inhibition) doesn't have any effect on the overall performance of the subjects, it has a significant effect on the probability of exploration. This work will be interesting for scientists working in fundamental and clinical neurosciences.

     (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

10. Ectodermal Wnt signaling, cell fate determination, and polarity of the skate gill arch skeleton

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Jenaid M Rees
    2. Victoria A Sleight
    3. Stephen J Clark
    4. Tetsuya Nakamura
    5. J Andrew Gillis

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      In this highly innovative study, the authors use combinatorial gene expression analysis to study the development of the gill arch of the little skate. This process depends on Shh and Fgf ligand-derived endodermal cells at the endoderm-ectoderm junction, providing insight into not only the fundamental developmental mechanisms regulating brachial arch formation in cartilaginous fishes, but also highlighting a unique relationship between inhibition of Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways in the context of early appendage development. The work will be of interest to developmental biologists and colleagues studying Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways.

      (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