eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Coding of latent variables in sensory, parietal, and frontal cortices during closed-loop virtual navigation

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Jean-Paul Noel
   2. Edoardo Balzani
   3. Eric Avila
   4. Kaushik J Lakshminarasimhan
   5. Stefania Bruni
   6. Panos Alefantis
   7. Cristina Savin
   8. Dora E Angelaki

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript by Noel et al reports parallel neurophysiological responses from the three brain areas MST, 7a and dlPFC of monkeys during a novel behavioural paradigm developed by the same group previously. The continual nature of this paradigm with a closed action-perception loop makes the animal behaviour more naturalistic compared to classical paradigms with artificial breaks between sensory stimulation and action. Findings of neurophysiology under such a paradigm are novel and of broad interest to cognitive and systems neuroscientists. The data presented in the paper support the claim of distributed neural coding in which task-specific sub-networks may form.

     (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

2. Single-cell RNA sequencing and lineage tracing confirm mesenchyme to epithelial transformation (MET) contributes to repair of the endometrium at menstruation

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Phoebe M Kirkwood
   2. Douglas A Gibson
   3. Isaac Shaw
   4. Ross Dobie
   5. Olympia Kelepouri
   6. Neil C Henderson
   7. Philippa TK Saunders

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This is an important and delicately designed study that uses integrated tools to reveal underlying mechanisms of repair of the endometrium at menstruation. It combines single cell sequencing analysis and lineage tracing technologies to strongly prove that repair-specific cells originate from the fibroblast cell clusters and PDGFRα+ endometrial fibroblasts undergo MET and can become incorporated into the luminal epithelium of the post repair tissue.

     (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 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Connexin 43 hemichannels regulate mitochondrial ATP generation, mobilization, and mitochondrial homeostasis against oxidative stress

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Jingruo Zhang
   2. Manuel A Riquelme
   3. Rui Hua
   4. Francisca M Acosta
   5. Sumin Gu
   6. Jean X Jiang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript is well organized and clearly written. The discussion provides the required information to easily understand the relevance of each finding. the authors demonstrated using an osteocyte cell model that connexin43 is localized to mitochondria and that this is enhanced in response to oxidative stress. Several lines of evidence were presented showing that mitochondrial connexin43 forms functional hemichannels and that connexin43 is required for optimal mitochondrial respiration and ATP generation. These aspects were major strengths of the study.

     (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 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Hepatic inactivation of murine Surf4 results in marked reduction in plasma cholesterol

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Vi T Tang
   2. Joseph McCormick
   3. Bolin Xu
   4. Yawei Wang
   5. Huan Fang
   6. Xiao Wang
   7. David Siemieniak
   8. Rami Khoriaty
   9. Brian T Emmer
   10. Xiao-Wei Chen
   11. David Ginsburg

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     By the use of liver specific gene knock-out approaches Tang et al have clearly documented an important role for an endoplasmic reticulum sorting receptor, SURF4, in the efficient secretion of PCSK9, a protein in circulation that binds to and enhances the intracellular uptake and degradation of the low density lipoprotein receptor. As a consequence of liver specific knock-outs, adult mice survive well with an exceptionally lower level of circulating cholesterol, triglycerides and various lipoproteins. These compelling results reinforce the prospect for the development of therapeutic approaches in cholesterol and LDL reduction by targeting the intracellular association of PCSK9 and the SURF4 receptor. The work is elegant and complete with the only concern that some of the work and results overlap work published previously by some of these authors.

     (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 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Flexing the principal gradient of the cerebral cortex to suit changing semantic task demands

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Zhiyao Gao
   2. Li Zheng
   3. Katya Krieger-Redwood
   4. Ajay Halai
   5. Daniel S Margulies
   6. Jonathan Smallwood
   7. Elizabeth Jefferies

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This work provides substantial new insights into how semantic association strength influences the function and relationships across brain regions along a topographical structure of cerebral cortex. A principal gradient with the separation of default mode network from sensory-motor systems represents a hallmark of the retrieval of strong conceptual links. This study will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists, especially those who are interested in semantic cognition.

     (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 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Body mass index and childhood symptoms of depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A within-family Mendelian randomization study

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Amanda M Hughes
   2. Eleanor Sanderson
   3. Tim Morris
   4. Ziada Ayorech
   5. Martin Tesli
   6. Helga Ask
   7. Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud
   8. Ole A Andreassen
   9. Per Magnus
   10. Øyvind Helgeland
   11. Stefan Johansson
   12. Pål Njølstad
   13. George Davey Smith
   14. Alexandra Havdahl
   15. Laura D Howe
   16. Neil M Davies

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper uses a new statistical approach called within family Mendelian randomization and asserts that claims of childhood BMI affecting a range of psychiatric traits are unfounded and were mainly caused by confounders that this new approach is able to better identify and control for. They do find a role for maternal BMI on a child's risk for developing depression. The main issue raised is that they do not convincingly show if they do not replicate the old association of childhood BMI with a range of psychiatric traits due to their technique simply having lower power to detect the signal or due to a true lack of this effect.

     (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

7. HIV skews the SARS-CoV-2 B cell response towards an extrafollicular maturation pathway

   This article has 24 authors:

   1. Robert Krause
   2. Jumari Snyman
   3. Hwa Shi-Hsia
   4. Daniel Muema
   5. Farina Karim
   6. Yashica Ganga
   7. Abigail Ngoepe
   8. Yenzekile Zungu
   9. Inbal Gazy
   10. Mallory Bernstein
   11. Khadija Khan
   12. Matilda Mazibuko
   13. Ntombifuthi Mthabela
   14. Dirhona Ramjit
   15. COMMIT-KZN Team
   16. Oliver Limbo
   17. Joseph Jardine
   18. Devin Sok
   19. Ian A Wilson
   20. Willem Hanekom
   21. Alex Sigal
   22. Henrik Kløverpris
   23. Thumbi Ndung'u
   24. Alasdair Leslie

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The authors investigate how HIV-1 infection affects the immune response in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection by characterising the circulating B cell response. They conclude that people with HIV-1 infection, who become infected by SARS-CoV-2, produce B cell responses via an extra-follicular pathway to a greater degree than people who do not have HIV-1 infection. These findings imply that in HIV-1 infected individuals, long-term B cell and antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 might not be as robust and durable compared to those in people without HIV-1 infection. The manuscript will be of interest to infectious disease specialists, virologists, and immunologists.

     (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 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Osteoclast-mediated resorption primes the skeleton for successful integration during axolotl limb regeneration

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Camilo Riquelme-Guzmán
   2. Stephanie L Tsai
   3. Karen Carreon Paz
   4. Congtin Nguyen
   5. David Oriola
   6. Maritta Schuez
   7. Jan Brugués
   8. Joshua D Currie
   9. Tatiana Sandoval-Guzmán

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper is of interest to skeletal biologists studying skeletal development and tissue regeneration. The study applies a well-established and elegant axolotl limb regeneration model and transgenic reporter strains to reveal the potential role of osteoclast-mediated resorption in limb regeneration.

     (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

9. A tug of war between filament treadmilling and myosin induced contractility generates actin rings

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Qin Ni
   2. Kaustubh Wagh
   3. Aashli Pathni
   4. Haoran Ni
   5. Vishavdeep Vashisht
   6. Arpita Upadhyaya
   7. Garegin A Papoian

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This important paper uses molecular simulations to explain how actomyosin networks transition from small clusters to the cortex or ring-shaped actin networks. The authors provide compelling evidence that variation in filament turnover rate and myosin concentration triggers a phase transition of these networks. The predictions of this model are consistent with observations made in T cells, where actin ring formation can be induced following their activation by antibodies.

     (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

10. Dynamic proteomic and phosphoproteomic atlas of corticostriatal axons in neurodevelopment

    This article has 5 authors:

    1. Vasin Dumrongprechachan
    2. Ryan B Salisbury
    3. Lindsey Butler
    4. Matthew L MacDonald
    5. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      Knowledge of the protein composition of defined sub-cellular compartments is of key importance for the characterization of protein machines that mediate defined cellular functionalities. The current paper presents a novel mouse line that will serve as a helpful tool in this context - a Cre-inducible APEX2 reporter mouse line for acute ex-vivo proximity biotinylation. The paper documents the successful use of the novel reporter line to assess circuit-specific proteomes and phosphoproteomes in the corticostriatal system during development. The corresponding data largely align with the published record, but potentially new biological insights deduced from bioinformatic analyses of proteomic data were not followed up by experimental validation. In sum, the new APEX2 reporter mouse line will be of substantial interest to researchers in many fields of mammalian biology. The extent of 'new biology' provided is rather limited, but will be of interest to readers in neurodevelopment.

      (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