eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. When word order matters: human brains represent sentence meaning differently from large language models

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. James Fodor
   2. Carsten Murawski
   3. Shinsuke Suzuki

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work provides a valuable comparison of sentence structure representations in the human brain and state-of-the-art Large Language Models (LLMs). Based on solid analysis of 7T fMRI data, it systematically identifies sentences in which LLMs underperform relative to models that explicitly code for syntactic structure. The study will be of significant interest to both cognitive neuroscientists and artificial intelligence researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Generation of knock-in Cre and FlpO mouse lines for precise targeting of striatal projection neurons and dopaminergic neurons

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Eddy Albarran
   2. Akira Fushiki
   3. Anders Nelson
   4. David Ng
   5. Corryn Chaimowitz
   6. Laudan Nikoobakht
   7. Tanya Sippy
   8. Darcy S Peterka
   9. Rui M Costa

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work has the potential to expand the repertoire of transgenic animals for systems neuroscience investigations across multiple fields. The generation of new reagents has the potential to open new directions in experimental design, and the Cas9-based approach for generating mice may provide additional benefits compared to existing BAC transgenic mouse lines. However, whereas some of the imaging data are compelling, quantitative analysis of transgene fidelity is incomplete, as it relies on a qualitative description of reporter XFP expression at low magnification, with some electrophysiological characterization.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Enhancer-AAVs allow genetic access to oligodendrocytes and diverse populations of astrocytes across species

   This article has 75 authors:

   1. John K Mich
   2. Smrithi Sunil
   3. Nelson Johansen
   4. Refugio A Martinez
   5. Jiatai Liu
   6. Bryan B Gore
   7. Joseph T Mahoney
   8. Mckaila Leytze
   9. Yoav Ben-Simon
   10. Darren Bertagnolli
   11. Ravi Bhowmik
   12. Yemeserach Bishaw
   13. Krissy Brouner
   14. Jazmin Campos
   15. Ryan Canfield
   16. Tamara Casper
   17. Nicholas P Donadio
   18. Nadezhda I Dotson
   19. Tom Egdorf
   20. Amanda Gary
   21. Shane Gibson
   22. Jeff Goldy
   23. Erin L Groce
   24. Kenta M Hagihara
   25. Daniel Hirschstein
   26. Han Hou
   27. Will D Laird
   28. Elizabeth Liang
   29. Luke V Loftus
   30. Nicholas Lusk
   31. Jocelin Malone
   32. Naomi X Martin
   33. Deja Monet
   34. Josh S Nagra
   35. Dakota Newman
   36. Nhan-Kiet Ngo
   37. Paul Olsen
   38. Victoria Omstead
   39. Ximena Opitz-Araya
   40. Aaron Oster
   41. Christina A Pom
   42. Lydia Potekhina
   43. Melissa Reding
   44. Christine Rimorin
   45. Augustin Ruiz
   46. Adriana E Sedeño-Cortés
   47. Nadiya V Shapovalova
   48. Michael Taormina
   49. Naz Taskin
   50. Michael Tieu
   51. Nasmil J Valera Cuevas
   52. Sharon W Way
   53. Natalie Weed
   54. Vonn Wright
   55. Zizhen Yao
   56. Thomas Zhou
   57. Delissa A McMillen
   58. Michael Kunst
   59. Medea McGraw
   60. Bargavi Thyagarajan
   61. Jack Waters
   62. Trygve E Bakken
   63. Nick Dee
   64. Shenqin Yao
   65. Kimberly A Smith
   66. Karel Svoboda
   67. Kaspar Podgorski
   68. Yoshiko Kojima
   69. Greg D Horwitz
   70. Hongkui Zeng
   71. Tanya L Daigle
   72. Ed S Lein
   73. Bosiljka Tasic
   74. Jonathan T Ting
   75. Boaz P Levi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study presents convincing findings on creating an exhaustive library of new enhancer-AAVs targeting astrocytes and oligodendrocytes with high potential for both basic and translational work, which will be of value to a large and growing community. However, the outdated description of glial biology in the Introduction, the overstated claims of utility in the Conclusion, and the loose stringency in the criteria used to assemble the library diminish the strengths of the claims. The work will be of interest to neuroscientists working on glial cell biology.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Functional connectivity, structural connectivity, and inter-individual variability in Drosophila melanogaster

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Takuto Okuno
   2. Alexander Woodward
   3. Hideyuki Okano
   4. Junichi Hata

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper presents a collection of analyses relating structure and function in the whole-brain Drosophila EM connectome and whole-brain calcium imaging data. The linkage of detailed anatomical structure with population activity is of broad interest in circuit neuroscience in light of increasingly detailed brain maps, but the analysis methods used made the evidence incomplete. The conclusions are useful for specific network observations, but a more thorough analysis of the anatomical and functional data is needed to support the overall claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Heterogeneity of genetic sequence within quasi-species of influenza virus revealed by single-molecule sequencing

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Kenji Tamao
   2. Hiroyuki Noji
   3. Kazuhito Tabata

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study is an important contribution to the field of viral sequencing, providing methods for more accurate characterization of viral genetic diversity using long-read sequencing and unique molecular identifiers (UMIs). Although it is a small pilot study, it shows promise as a convincing, validated methodology with broad applicability.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. The Multifaceted Role of EXOC6A in Ciliogenesis

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Te-Lin Lin
   2. Chien-Ting Wu
   3. Tang K Tang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study elucidates the role of the exocyst component EXOC6A at distinct stages of ciliogenesis, which advances our understanding of ciliary membrane remodeling and cilium formation. The authors provide compelling evidence through high quality light and electron microscopic imaging, and careful analysis of knockout cell lines, that EXOC6A interacts with myosin-Va and is dynamically recruited via dynein-, microtubule-, and actin-dependent mechanisms, to support proper formation of the ciliary membrane. The study will be of interest to cell biologists and other researchers interested in vesicular trafficking, organellar membrane dynamics, and ciliogenesis.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Thermogenic Adipose ADH5 Counteracts Age-related Metabolic Decline

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Sara C Sebag
   2. Tate Neff
   3. Qingwen Qian
   4. Arvand Asghari
   5. Zhuozhi Wang
   6. Zeyuan Zhang
   7. Mark Li
   8. Meihua Hao
   9. Vitor A Lira
   10. Hongli Sun
   11. Matthew J Potthoff
   12. Ling Yang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study identifies a brown adipose tissue-specific heat shock factor 1-alcohol dehydrogenase 5 (ADH5) molecular cascade as a regulator of systemic aging, showing that ADH5 deficiency contributes to BAT dysfunction and health decline in aged mice. While there is evidence to support this mechanism, the conclusions remain incomplete, particularly regarding statistical rigor and clarity in data presentation.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Rift Valley fever virus dynamics in a transhumant cattle system in The Gambia

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Essa Jarra
   2. Divine Ekwem
   3. Sarah Cleaveland
   4. Daniel T Haydon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This modelling study tests several hypotheses describing how seasonality and migration drive the epidemiology of Rift Valley Fever Virus among transhumant cattle in The Gambia. The work is methodologically solid, and the findings offer valuable insights into how the movement of cattle in and out of the Gambia River and Sahel ecoregions could lead to source-sink transmission dynamics among cattle subpopulations, sustaining endemic transmission.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Oxytocin neurons signal state-dependent transitions from rest to thermogenesis and behavioral arousal in social and non-social settings

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Morgane Vandendoren
   2. Jason G Landen
   3. Joseph F Rogers
   4. Samantha Killmer
   5. Baizar Alamiri
   6. Celeste Pohlman
   7. Glenn J Tattersall
   8. Nicole L Bedford
   9. Adam C Nelson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding regarding the role of oxytocin neurons in thermogenesis and behavioral thermoregulation. The use of numerous converging methods, including behavior, fiber photometry, optogenetics, thermal recordings, metabolic analyses, and more, produces a multi-dimensional dataset delivering findings that provide solid support for the conclusions. Conclusions would be strengthened with validation of the approaches, inclusion of a loss of function experiment, and further investigation of the social nature of the behavior. The maternal findings are, at present, somewhat disconnected from the conclusions. The findings are novel and open new doors for understanding the role of the PVT and oxytocin in thermoregulation work; the work will be of strong interest to the thermoregulation, social behavior, and oxytocin signaling communities.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. ZFT is the major iron and zinc transporter in Toxoplasma gondii

    This article has 9 authors:

    1. Dana Aghabi
    2. Cecilia Gallego Rubio
    3. Miguel Cortijo Martinez
    4. Augustin Pouzache
    5. Erin J Gibson
    6. Lucas Pagura
    7. Stephen J Fairweather
    8. Giel G van Dooren
    9. Clare R Harding

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This important study identifies a metal transporter in the plasma membrane of the obligate intracellular pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii. Using an array of different approaches, the authors convincingly demonstrate that this transporter mediates iron and zinc uptake and regulates diverse cellular processes, including parasite metabolism and differentiation. This work will be of broad interest to cell biologists and biochemists studying metal ion transport mechanisms.

    Reviewed by eLife