eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. FAM76B regulates NF-κB-mediated inflammatory pathway by influencing the translocation of hnRNPA2B1

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Dongyang Wang
   2. Xiaojing Zheng
   3. Lihong Chai
   4. Junli Zhao
   5. Jiuling Zhu
   6. Yanqing Li
   7. Peiyan Yang
   8. Qinwen Mao
   9. Haibin Xia

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The paper provides important insight into the function of FAM76B protein as a regulator of inflammation. The knockout/overexpression data are solid, however, the mechanism of regulation and the role of FAM76B in neurodegeneration is incomplete and requires additional experimentation. The work will be of interest to researchers studying inflammation, particularly neuroinflammation.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Aerobic exercise reverses aging-induced depth-dependent decline in cerebral microcirculation

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Paul Shin
   2. Qi Pian
   3. Hidehiro Ishikawa
   4. Gen Hamanaka
   5. Emiri T Mandeville
   6. Shuzhen Guo
   7. Buyin Fu
   8. Mohammed Alfadhel
   9. Srinivasa Rao Allu
   10. Ikbal Şencan-Eğilmez
   11. Baoqiang Li
   12. Chongzhao Ran
   13. Sergei A Vinogradov
   14. Cenk Ayata
   15. Eng Lo
   16. Ken Arai
   17. Anna Devor
   18. Sava Sakadžić

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study shows that exercise improves cerebrovascular function during aging using convincing methods, the authors show that aerobic exercise reverses aging-induced deficits in microvascular perfusion and oxygenation and potentially improves short-term memory. This work will be of broad interest to researchers and clinicians studying vascular function, age-related cognitive decline, and the effects of aerobic exercise on reversing age-related dysfunction.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Biallelic variants in MAD2L1BP (p31comet) cause female infertility characterized by oocyte maturation arrest

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Lingli Huang
   2. Wenqing Li
   3. Xingxing Dai
   4. Shuai Zhao
   5. Bo Xu
   6. Fengsong Wang
   7. Ren-Tao Jin
   8. Lihua Luo
   9. Limin Wu
   10. Xue Jiang
   11. Yu Cheng
   12. Jiaqi Zou
   13. Caoling Xu
   14. Xianhong Tong
   15. Heng-Yu Fan
   16. Han Zhao
   17. Jianqiang Bao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study identifies three independent patient mutations in MAD2L1BP (p31 comet) that cause infertility. Consistent with the known functions of p31 comet, solid experiments in mouse oocytes imply that infertility could be caused by a failure to silence the spindle assembly checkpoint, though the mechanism was not determined. Although the sample size is small, a rescue experiment in human oocytes promises the potential for therapy.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. A computational method for predicting the most likely evolutionary trajectories in the stepwise accumulation of resistance mutations

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Ruth Charlotte Eccleston
   2. Emilia Manko
   3. Susana Campino
   4. Taane G Clark
   5. Nicholas Furnham

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This report is a useful demonstration of how to predict the mutational pathways to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergence, particularly in the enzyme DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase). The methodology is overall solid but some of the claims are only partially supported. The work will be of interest to microbiologists and evolutionary biologists interested in antimicrobial resistance and its population genetics dynamic.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Determining growth rates from bright-field images of budding cells through identifying overlaps

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Julian MJ Pietsch
   2. Alán F Muñoz
   3. Diane-Yayra A Adjavon
   4. Iseabail Farquhar
   5. Ivan BN Clark
   6. Peter S Swain

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     In this interesting manuscript, Pietsch et al. develop innovative machine learning approaches for automated analysis of budding yeast live-cell imaging data obtained with a dedicated microfluidic device that retains mother cells. Developing such tools is crucial to enable high-throughput image analysis. These methods will be useful for researchers studying these cells, and may also inspire similar approaches for other types of cells.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. An extracellular vesicle targeting ligand that binds to Arc proteins and facilitates Arc transport in vivo

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Peter H Lee
   2. Michael Anaya
   3. Mark S Ladinsky
   4. Justin M Reitsma
   5. Kai Zinn

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as important mediators of cell-to-cell signaling. Lee et al show convincingly that Stranded at second (Sas), a Drosophila cell surface protein, is trafficked by and localized to Drosophila EVs. However, the data supporting interaction with dArc and whether Sas facilitates the intercellular transfer of dArc protein or mRNA is incomplete. Moreover, almost all experiments rely on gain-of-function and over-expression of Sas, thus the relevance to normal physiological signaling is unclear.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Single-cell profiling coupled with lineage analysis reveals vagal and sacral neural crest contributions to the developing enteric nervous system

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Jessica Jacobs-Li
   2. Weiyi Tang
   3. Can Li
   4. Marianne E Bronner

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is an elegant study combining virally-delivered lineage-tracing with single cell RNA-sequencing of the developing chicken enteric nervous system, showing potentially differential contribution of cell identities from the sacral and vagal neural crest. Addressing this important issue is pivotal to understanding basic enteric nervous system development as well as to devise therapeutic approaches to enteric neuropathies. The study is therefore generally interesting and in particular to researchers in the fields of enteric neuroscience and peripheral nervous system development. Lack of a basic classification scheme of neuronal cell types in the chicken, limited computational and functional analysis on a relatively immature stage and makes the conclusions of this work preliminary in its current state.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A single-cell atlas depicting the cellular and molecular features in human anterior cruciate ligamental degeneration: A single cell combined spatial transcriptomics study

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Runze Yang
   2. Tianhao Xu
   3. Lei Zhang
   4. Minghao Ge
   5. Liwei Yan
   6. Jian Li
   7. Weili Fu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The creation of a single-cell atlas of normal and degenerative human anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tissues using a single-cell RNA sequencing method is an important approach to understanding the pathological mechanisms of ACL degeneration. The data of this study showed the existence of fibroblasts, endothelial cells, pericytes, and immune cells in healthy ACL, and their ratios altered in the degenerative ACL, mainly exhibited as an increase in fibroblasts and immune cells. The data analysis suggests that alterations of spatial transcriptome and changes in gene expression and signaling pathways may contribute to ACL degeneration.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Histone deacetylase 6 inhibition promotes microtubule acetylation and facilitates autophagosome–lysosome fusion in dystrophin‐deficient mdx mice

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Akanksha Agrawal
   2. Erin L. Clayton
   3. Courtney L. Cavazos
   4. Benjamin A. Clayton
   5. George G. Rodney

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study pinpoints nitrite oxide synthase 2 activity and decreased microtubule acetylation as distinct regulators of altered autophagic flux that may contribute to pathogenesis in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. While most of the evidence to support these claims is convincing, the claim that autophagy is improved with increased microtubule acetylation is incompletely supported. This work may be of broad interest to muscle biologists and has translational potential for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. The impact of COVID-19 on cancer screening and treatment in older adults: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Victoria P Mak
    2. Kami White
    3. Lynne R Wilkens
    4. Iona Cheng
    5. Christopher A Haiman
    6. Loic Le Marchand

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      The authors used the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) study to study how COVID-19 impacted access to cancer screenings and treatment. This study's important findings served to identify key factors associated with cancer-related screening and healthcare-seeking during the pandemic. This investigation provides solid evidence to inform future policies, particularly in older and vulnerable populations.

    Reviewed by eLife