eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Piezo1 as a force-through-membrane sensor in red blood cells

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. George Vaisey
   2. Priyam Banerjee
   3. Alison J North
   4. Christoph A Haselwandter
   5. Roderick MacKinnon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important paper uses advanced imaging approaches to explore how Piezo1 distributes on surface red blood cells. The study provides compelling evidence that this molecule 'reads' the membrane curvature and clear support for the force-through-membrane model of mechanosensation.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Revealing druggable cryptic pockets in the Nsp1 of SARS-CoV-2 and other β-coronaviruses by simulations and crystallography

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Alberto Borsatto
   2. Obaeda Akkad
   3. Ioannis Galdadas
   4. Shumeng Ma
   5. Shymaa Damfo
   6. Shozeb Haider
   7. Frank Kozielski
   8. Carolina Estarellas
   9. Francesco Luigi Gervasio

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     SARS-CoV-2 nonstructural protein (Nsp1) has emerged as an attractive target as it plays an important role in modulating the host and viral gene expression. This study describes multiple druggable sites in Nsp1. A 1.1Å co-crystal structure of Nsp1 with a fragment, together with computational studies, provides a framework for the rational design of potential antiviral candidates. This important study is methodologically convincing and will be of interest to researchers in the fields of structural virology and rational drug design.

   Reviewed by eLife, ScreenIT

3. CIRKO: A chemical-induced reversible gene knockout system for studying gene function in situ

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Hui Shi
   2. Qin Jin
   3. Fangbing Chen
   4. Zhen Ouyang
   5. Shixue Gou
   6. Xiaoyi Liu
   7. Lei Li
   8. Shuangshuang Mu
   9. Chengdan Lai
   10. Quanjun Zhang
   11. Yinghua Ye
   12. Kepin Wang
   13. Liangxue Lai

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     Conditional deletion and reactivation of a gene in situ remain challenging, and this study therefore addresses a gap in the genetic tool box. The authors introduce a reversible conditional gene inactivation and reactivation method using sequential expression of recombinases, with doxycycline treatment terminating gene transcription, while doxycycline and tamoxifen addition restore gene expression.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Proteome-wide systems genetics identifies UFMylation as a regulator of skeletal muscle function

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Jeffrey Molendijk
   2. Ronnie Blazev
   3. Richard J Mills
   4. Yaan-Kit Ng
   5. Kevin I Watt
   6. Daryn Chau
   7. Paul Gregorevic
   8. Peter J Crouch
   9. James BW Hilton
   10. Leszek Lisowski
   11. Peixiang Zhang
   12. Karen Reue
   13. Aldons J Lusis
   14. James E Hudson
   15. David E James
   16. Marcus M Seldin
   17. Benjamin L Parker

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript will be of broad interest to those working in the genetics of complex diseases, with the results strongly supporting the author's primary claims. Overall, this is an important study that demonstrates the power of proteomics-based systems genetics studies in the mouse.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. A toxin-antidote selfish element increases fitness of its host

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Lijiang Long
   2. Wen Xu
   3. Francisco Valencia
   4. Annalise B Paaby
   5. Patrick T McGrath

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This study addresses a fundamental question about the origin and evolution of selfish genetic elements, focusing on the paradoxical abundance of toxin-antidote elements in selfing Caenorhabditis species. The authors propose for the C. elegans peel-1 zeel-1 locus fitness advantages; if these the findings can be supported with additional data, they will be of considerable interest to the field due to their wider implications for the evolution of such systems.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Biological condensates form percolated networks with molecular motion properties distinctly different from dilute solutions

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Zeyu Shen
   2. Bowen Jia
   3. Yang Xu
   4. Jonas Wessén
   5. Tanmoy Pal
   6. Hue Sun Chan
   7. Shengwang Du
   8. Mingjie Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors report results from experiments and modeling that study the motions of molecules in the dense and dilute phases of biomolecular condensates, with the key finding that molecules in the dense phase of condensates formed by folded domains appear to switch between a confined state with low apparent diffusivity and a mobile state with a high apparent diffusivity that is comparable to that of molecules in the dilute phase. The study provides experimental evidence that is suggestive of phase separation coupled with percolation as the operative mechanism that gives rise to biomolecular condensates.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Robust capability of renal tubule fatty acid uptake from apical and basolateral membranes in physiology and disease

   This article has 22 authors:

   1. Ryo Kawakami
   2. Hirofumi Hanaoka
   3. Ayaka Kanai
   4. Hideru Obinata
   5. Daisuke Nakano
   6. Hidekazu Ikeuchi
   7. Miki Matsui
   8. Toshiyuki Matsuzaki
   9. Rina Tanaka
   10. Hiroaki Sunaga
   11. Sawako Goto
   12. Hiroki Matsui
   13. Norimichi Koitabashi
   14. Keiko Saegusa
   15. Tomoyuki Yokoyama
   16. Keiju Hiromura
   17. Akira Nishiyama
   18. Akihiko Saito
   19. Motoko Yanagita
   20. Hideki Ishii
   21. Masahiko Kurabayashi
   22. Tatsuya Iso

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This manuscript presents valuable and significant data on how lipids may accumulate in the tubulointerstitial compartment of the diseased kidney, but the work is largely descriptive, using methods that are inadequate for quantification (colorimetric assays versus mass spec), thus rendering data interpretation not very convincing. Therefore, while a major strength is the presentation of innovative ideas, additional experiments would be needed to support the main conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. SUMOylation of NaV1.2 channels regulates the velocity of backpropagating action potentials in cortical pyramidal neurons

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Oron Kotler
   2. Yana Khrapunsky
   3. Arik Shvartsman
   4. Hui Dai
   5. Leigh D Plant
   6. Steven AN Goldstein
   7. Ilya Fleidervish

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work will be of interest to neuroscientists working on synaptic transmission and modulation of ion channel activity. This work provides solid evidence of how modulation of Nav1.2 channels by SUMOYLation alters the function of layer 5 pyramidal neurons, using convincing methodology that includes the use of a mouse engineered to eliminate the SUMOYLation site on Nav1.2. Some aspects need to be revised to strengthen data analysis and interpretation.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Promoting Fc-Fc interactions between anti-capsular antibodies provides strong immune protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Leire Aguinagalde Salazar
   2. Maurits A den Boer
   3. Suzanne M Castenmiller
   4. Seline A Zwarthoff
   5. Carla de Haas
   6. Piet C Aerts
   7. Frank J Beurskens
   8. Janine Schuurman
   9. Albert JR Heck
   10. Kok van Kessel
   11. Suzan HM Rooijakkers

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This paper will be of interest to immunologists and infectious disease experts, as it reports the investigation of a novel treatment of invasive pneumococcal diseases using complement-activating monoclonal antibodies. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo methods, the authors demonstrate convincingly that the introduction of specific mutations in human monoclonal antibodies that target the surface of pneumococcus bacteria can result in enhanced complement activation after these antibodies bind to the bacterial surface.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. An acetylation-mediated chromatin switch governs H3K4 methylation read-write capability

    This article has 30 authors:

    1. Kanishk Jain
    2. Matthew R Marunde
    3. Jonathan M Burg
    4. Susan L Gloor
    5. Faith M Joseph
    6. Karl F Poncha
    7. Zachary B Gillespie
    8. Keli L Rodriguez
    9. Irina K Popova
    10. Nathan W Hall
    11. Anup Vaidya
    12. Sarah A Howard
    13. Hailey F Taylor
    14. Laylo Mukhsinova
    15. Ugochi C Onuoha
    16. Emily F Patteson
    17. Spencer W Cooke
    18. Bethany C Taylor
    19. Ellen N Weinzapfel
    20. Marcus A Cheek
    21. Matthew J Meiners
    22. Geoffrey C Fox
    23. Kevin EW Namitz
    24. Martis W Cowles
    25. Krzysztof Krajewski
    26. Zu-Wen Sun
    27. Michael S Cosgrove
    28. Nicolas L Young
    29. Michael-Christopher Keogh
    30. Brian D Strahl

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife assessment

      This study shows that cis H3 tail acetylation promotes nucleosome accessibility to H3K4 methyl readers and writers such as MLL1. The findings provide a molecular basis for the long-standing connection between H3 acetylation and H3K4 methylation. Additional evidence is required to fully support the conclusions.

    Reviewed by eLife