eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Computational design of peptides to target NaV1.7 channel with high potency and selectivity for the treatment of pain

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Phuong T Nguyen
   2. Hai M Nguyen
   3. Karen M Wagner
   4. Robert G Stewart
   5. Vikrant Singh
   6. Parashar Thapa
   7. Yi-Je Chen
   8. Mark W Lillya
   9. Anh Tuan Ton
   10. Richard Kondo
   11. Andre Ghetti
   12. Michael W Pennington
   13. Bruce Hammock
   14. Theanne N Griffith
   15. Jon T Sack
   16. Heike Wulff
   17. Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The authors of this manuscript set out to improve on a peptide, ProTxII, which had been previously put forward as a promising blocker of Nav1.7 channels and thus offers a possible non-opiate way to block pain. They develop a useful computational workflow that is based on in silico manipulations of the interaction of ProTxII with a Na channel structure determined previously and evaluation of the predicted mutations with electrophysiology. The authors succeed in producing two peptides with improved selectivity for Nav1.7 over other subtypes and capable of producing ion channel block at low concentrations and the experimental evidence presented is solid, and the general applicability of the method is compelling.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Molecular and anatomical characterization of parabrachial neurons and their axonal projections

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Jordan L Pauli
   2. Jane Y Chen
   3. Marcus L Basiri
   4. Sekun Park
   5. Matthew E Carter
   6. Elisenda Sanz
   7. G Stanley McKnight
   8. Garret D Stuber
   9. Richard D Palmiter

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     The parabrachial nuclei are groups of neurons in the brainstem (one on each side) that integrate information about the state of the body to guide appropriate homeostatic responses. The manuscript by Pauli and Chen et al. is a compelling and much-needed study that characterizes the cell types that make up these nuclei and genetic tools to study them. The result is a highly valuable resource to the academic community.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Variation in the ACE2 receptor has limited utility for SARS-CoV-2 host prediction

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Nardus Mollentze
   2. Deborah Keen
   3. Uuriintuya Munkhbayar
   4. Roman Biek
   5. Daniel G Streicker

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This important study shows that methods currently used to predict which animals species might be at risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2, by looking at features of the host cell receptor the virus binds to, are fundamentally flawed, with exceptionally strong support for this conclusion. Much work on the potential host range of SARS-CoV-2 has focused on measuring the susceptibility of different species' ACE2 receptors to sarbecovirus entry and extending predictions to other unmeasured species based on ACE2 sequence features. Mollentze and colleagues show that ACE2 sequences are not more than a proxy for generic species relationships. In other words, species phylogeny alone can provide equivalent predictive power, allowing for predictions of mammalian susceptibility to sarbecovirus infection for the many species for which ACE2 sequences are not known yet.

     (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, ScreenIT

4. A novel fold for acyltransferase-3 (AT3) proteins provides a framework for transmembrane acyl-group transfer

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Kahlan E Newman
   2. Sarah N Tindall
   3. Sophie L Mader
   4. Syma Khalid
   5. Gavin H Thomas
   6. Marjan W Van Der Woude

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     By integrating a range of computational techniques, the authors generated a structural model for the AT3 domain, which is predicted to adopt a new fold. The key features of the structural model are consistent with the activity of the enzyme as an acyltransferase, with a transmembrane channel that can accommodate an acyl-CoA donor, and an outer cavity formed with a second domain that can accommodate a nascent LPS molecule as substrate. Overall, the study will help stimulate specific experimental analyses that can further evaluate and improve the model for better mechanistic understanding of this class of enzymes. The work will be of interest to structural biologists, and all studying acyltransferase enzymes.

     (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

5. A novel monocyte differentiation pattern in pristane-induced lupus with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Shuhong Han
   2. Haoyang Zhuang
   3. Rawad Daniel Arja
   4. Westley H Reeves

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The authors dissect the phenotypes of bone-marrow derived myeloid cells in a murine model of pulmonary vasculitis with relevance to human disease, revealing the association of novel phenotypic subsets associated with lung injury, yet the role of these subsets in regulating or contributing to tissue injury is less clearly determined.

     (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. The reviewer remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

6. High spatial resolution analysis using automated indentation mapping differentiates biomechanical properties of normal vs. degenerated articular cartilage in mice

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Anand O Masson
   2. Bryce Besler
   3. W Brent Edwards
   4. Roman J Krawetz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The work presented by Masson et al. highlights experimental approaches using spatial indentation and contrast-enhanced 3-D x-ray imaging to topographically map cartilage thickness in mouse knee joints. This methods described have the potential to impact the field of musculoskeletal biomechanics, especially for researchers using mouse models to study cartilage wear and disease, given the high resolution and sensitivity of the described approaches.

     (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. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Integration of mouse ovary morphogenesis with developmental dynamics of the oviduct, ovarian ligaments, and rete ovarii

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Jennifer McKey
   2. Dilara N Anbarci
   3. Corey Bunce
   4. Alejandra E Ontiveros
   5. Richard R Behringer
   6. Blanche Capel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This work describes mouse ovary morphogenesis from E14.5 to birth using recently developed methods combining CUBIC and iDISCO and optimized 3D imaging using light sheet microscopy. The manuscript is of interest to all developmental biologists as it will serve as a reference to whole embryo morphogenesis, in particular vertebrate ovary morphogenetic processes.

     (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. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Transversal functional connectivity and scene-specific processing in the human entorhinal-hippocampal circuitry

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Xenia Grande
   2. Magdalena M Sauvage
   3. Andreas Becke
   4. Emrah Düzel
   5. David Berron

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Grande and colleagues provide new insights into how different regions of the entorhinal cortex functionally interact with specific cortical brain areas and how, in turn, subregions of the entorhinal cortex interact with the hippocampus during 'scene' and 'object' processing. This paper is relevant to cognitive neuroscientists with an interest in the entorhinal cortex - hippocampal pathways and 'scene' and 'object' representation in the medial temporal lobe. The study is well-motivated, well-designed and appropriately analysed to address the research questions. Most conclusions of the paper are well supported by the data.

     (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

9. Variation in ubiquitin system genes creates substrate-specific effects on proteasomal protein degradation

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Mahlon A Collins
   2. Gemechu Mekonnen
   3. Frank Wolfgang Albert

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The authors use an elegant experimental design to study genetic variation in the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation system in yeast. They identify a large number of QTLs for naturally occurring variation, and they elucidate the causal variants and likely functional mechanisms of several of these. The paper illustrates an innovative new approach to high-throughput QTL mapping for specific molecular processes and it will be of interest to colleagues aiming to harness natural variation for understanding a range of biological processes.

     (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. Differences in the immune response elicited by two immunization schedules with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in a randomized phase 3 clinical trial

    This article has 40 authors:

    1. Nicolás MS Gálvez
    2. Gaspar A Pacheco
    3. Bárbara M Schultz
    4. Felipe Melo-González
    5. Jorge A Soto
    6. Luisa F Duarte
    7. Liliana A González
    8. Daniela Rivera-Pérez
    9. Mariana Ríos
    10. Roslye V Berrios
    11. Yaneisi Vázquez
    12. Daniela Moreno-Tapia
    13. Omar P Vallejos
    14. Catalina A Andrade
    15. Guillermo Hoppe-Elsholz
    16. Carolina Iturriaga
    17. Marcela Urzua
    18. María S Navarrete
    19. Álvaro Rojas
    20. Rodrigo Fasce
    21. Jorge Fernández
    22. Judith Mora
    23. Eugenio Ramírez
    24. Aracelly Gaete-Argel
    25. Mónica L Acevedo
    26. Fernando Valiente-Echeverría
    27. Ricardo Soto-Rifo
    28. Daniela Weiskopf
    29. Alba Grifoni
    30. Alessandro Sette
    31. Gang Zeng
    32. Weining Meng
    33. CoronaVacCL03 Study Group
    34. José V González-Aramundiz
    35. Marina Johnson
    36. David Goldblatt
    37. Pablo A González
    38. Katia Abarca
    39. Susan M Bueno
    40. Alexis M Kalergis

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This manuscript described the effects of two different CoronaVac vaccination schedules in a Chilean adult population. They find that a 0 and 28-day two-dose schedule produced superior levels of neutralizing antibodies and antibodies with a great breadth of interaction across variants compared to a 0 and 14-day two-dose schedule. They find no differences in T cell responses or total antibody levels between the two groups. These findings demonstrate that a short two-week two-dose interval should provide sufficient immunity to reduce the likelihood of serious outcomes during a COVID infection.

      (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. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

    Reviewed by eLife