eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. A comparative study of the cryo-EM structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ester Vazquez-Fernandez
   2. Jing Yang
   3. Ziguo Zhang
   4. Antonina E Andreeva
   5. Paul Emsley
   6. David Barford

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study provides compelling data that defines the structure of the S. cerevisiae APC/C. The structure reveals overall conservation of its mechanism of action compared to the human APC/C but some important differences that indicate that activation by co-activator binding and phosphorylation are not identical to the human APC/C. Thus this study will be of considerable value to the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. AARS2 ameliorates myocardial ischemia via fine-tuning PKM2-mediated metabolism

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Zongwang Zhang
   2. Lixia Zheng
   3. Yang Chen
   4. Yuanyuan Chen
   5. Junjie Hou
   6. Chenglu Xiao
   7. Xiaojun Zhu
   8. Shi-Min Zhao
   9. Jing-Wei Xiong

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study demonstrates that AARS2 is crucial for protecting cardiomyocytes from ischemic stress by shifting energy metabolism towards glycolysis through PKM2, presenting a novel therapeutic target for myocardial infarction. The findings are supported by solid evidence, including cardiomyocyte-specific genetic modifications, functional assays, and ribosome profiling, which together robustly validate the AARS2-PKM2 signaling pathway's role in cardiac protection.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Semantic plasticity across timescales in the human brain

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Sarah H Solomon
   2. Kendrick Kay
   3. Anna C Schapiro

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This valuable study investigates how the human brain flexibly adjusts its representations of the world as the environment continually changes. It utilizes a unique dataset in which participants view thousands of natural scenes across many fMRI sessions over multiple months. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is incomplete, with statistical inference not always warranted. The study would interest a broad readership in cognitive neuroscience.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Specific presynaptic functions require distinct Drosophila Ca _v 2 splice isoforms

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Christopher Bell
   2. Lukas Kilo
   3. Daniel Gottschalk
   4. Jashar Arian
   5. Lea Deneke
   6. Hanna Kern
   7. Christof Rickert
   8. Oliver Kobler
   9. Julia Strauß
   10. Martin Heine
   11. Carsten Duch
   12. Stefanie Ryglewski

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Cav2 voltage-gated calcium channels play key roles in regulating synaptic strength and plasticity. In contrast to mammals, invertebrates like Drosophila encode a single Cav2 channel, raising questions on how diversity in Cav2 is achieved from a single gene. Here, the authors present convincing evidence that two alternatively spliced isoforms of the Cac gene (cacophony, also known as Dmca1A and nightblindA) enable diverse changes in Cav2 expression, localization, and function in synaptic transmission and plasticity. These valuable findings will be of interest to a variety of researchers.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. The title and authors for this article are not available from our external data provider yet:
   10.48550/arxiv.2211.16879v3

6. Soluble immune mediators orchestrate protective in vitro granulomatous responses across Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex lineages

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Ainhoa Arbues
   2. Sarah Schmidiger
   3. Miriam Reinhard
   4. Sonia Borrell
   5. Sebastian Gagneux
   6. Damien Portevin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study assessed the virulence and immune responses of different M. tuberculosis lineages using a 3D in vitro granuloma model. The useful findings support the functional impact of M. tuberculosis natural diversity on host-pathogen interactions but are incomplete and only partially support the claims. The study will interest researchers working on mycobacteria and understanding how genetic diversity influences virulence and immunity outcomes.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Differences in size and number of embryonic type-II neuroblast lineages are associated with divergent timing of central complex development between beetle and fly

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Simon Rethemeier
   2. Sonja Fritzsche
   3. Dominik Mühlen
   4. Gregor Bucher
   5. Vera S Hunnekuhl

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The study is a valuable contribution to the question of evolutionary shifts in neuronal proliferation patterns and the timing of developmental progressions. The authors present solid support for the presence of type-II NB lineages in the beetle Tribolium with the same molecular characteristics as the counterparts in the fly Drosophila, but differences in lineage size and number. While presenting a number of interesting observations, further evidence will be required to show that the observed differences are indeed responsible for the differences in developmental timing of the central complex in the two insect species.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. A molecular proximity sensor based on an engineered, dual-component guide RNA

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Junhong Choi
   2. Wei Chen
   3. Hanna Liao
   4. Xiaoyi Li
   5. Jay Shendure

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important manuscript describes a creative approach using dual-component gRNAs to create a new class of molecular proximity sensors for genome editing. The authors demonstrate that this tool can be coupled with several different gene editing effectors, showing convincingly that the tool functions as intended. This study not only introduces a first-of-its kind approach, but through careful measurements also enables future further development of the technology.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Mediator kinase inhibition suppresses hyperactive interferon signaling in Down syndrome

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Kira Cozzolino
   2. Lynn Sanford
   3. Samuel Hunter
   4. Kayla Molison
   5. Benjamin Erickson
   6. Meaghan C.S. Courvan
   7. Taylor Jones
   8. Deepa Ajit
   9. Matthew D. Galbraith
   10. Joaquin M. Espinosa
   11. David L. Bentley
   12. Mary A. Allen
   13. Robin D. Dowell
   14. Dylan J. Taatjes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is a valuable study providing solid evidence that the Mediator kinase module mediates an elevated inflammatory response, manifested by heightened cytokine levels, associated with Downs syndrome (DS) via transcriptional changes impacting cell signaling and metabolism, which has significance for the treatment of DS and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Particular strengths of the study include the combined experimental approaches of transcriptomics, untargeted metabolomics, cytokine screens, and the use of sibling-matched cell lines (trisomy 21 vs disomy 21) from various donors. Less certain is that the Mediator kinase plays a meaningful role in regulating mRNA splicing. Further evidence that nuclear receptors are activated by changes in lipid levels and that mitochondrial function is substantially reduced on Mediator kinase inhibition would strengthen the work.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Endosomal Chemokine Receptor Signalosomes Regulate Central Mechanisms Underlying Cell Migration

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Hyunggu Hahn
    2. Carole Daly
    3. Little John
    4. Nicole A Perry-Hauser
    5. Emmanuel Flores-Espinoza
    6. Asuka Inoue
    7. Bianca Plouffe
    8. Alex Rojas Bie Thomsen

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This is a valuable study that provides CCR7-APEX2 proximity labelling mass spectrometry data that is expected to provide new insights into CCR7 signalling partners and pathways. The study is technically solid and easy to follow, however, there are some concerns that many of the highlighted findings are repetitive of prior work and that this is not clearly acknowledged. It would increase the impact of the study if the confirmatory nature of some findings were acknowledged. This is of value to the community, and there are likely multiple opportunities to use the APEX2 data set to extend these findings, strengthen some claims, and even explore a new pathway identified in the APEX2 data set.

    Reviewed by eLife