eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Maximizing CRISPRi efficacy and accessibility with dual-sgRNA libraries and optimal effectors

   This article has 18 authors:

   1. Joseph M Replogle
   2. Jessica L Bonnar
   3. Angela N Pogson
   4. Christina R Liem
   5. Nolan K Maier
   6. Yufang Ding
   7. Baylee J Russell
   8. Xingren Wang
   9. Kun Leng
   10. Alina Guna
   11. Thomas M Norman
   12. Ryan A Pak
   13. Daniel M Ramos
   14. Michael E Ward
   15. Luke A Gilbert
   16. Martin Kampmann
   17. Jonathan S Weissman
   18. Marco Jost

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     Replogle et al. present their design of a compact and functionally validated dual sgRNA libary and dCas9-effector protein that will enable new forms of CRISPRi-based screening in mammalian cells. Quantitative comparisons to previously published standards demonstrate strengths and weaknesses, which, along with the protocols and design strategies outlined, should enable end users to rapidly adopt their approach.

     (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

2. Oligodendrocyte-mediated myelin plasticity and its role in neural synchronization

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Sinisa Pajevic
   2. Dietmar Plenz
   3. Peter J Basser
   4. R Douglas Fields

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     This paper presents a new mathematical model describing biologically plausible feedback that glial cells might use to properly modify the conduction velocity in axons and promote optimal timing of neural impulses through changes in myelination. This problem is of great importance in the field of neuronal plasticity. The mathematical model is solid and predicts that individual oligodendrocytes are able to modify their myelination pattern in response to correlated action potentials. This work provides an important step forward by providing the theory for myelin-mediated neuronal plasticity. The study will benefit from adapting physiological parameters for oligodendrocytes that are guided by experimental 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 #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Fiber-specific structural properties relate to reading skills in children and adolescents

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Steven Lee Meisler
   2. John DE Gabrieli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     This study presents a large sample of participants ranging from 6-18 years investigating the association between white matter measures and reading using a sophisticated analysis. The results show a clear association between intra-axonal volume and single-word reading abilities. In sum, this valuable study complements other large-scale studies by applying sophisticated fixel-based analyses.

     (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

4. Contrasting effects of Ksr2, an obesity gene, on trabecular bone volume and bone marrow adiposity

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Gustavo A Gomez
   2. Charles H Rundle
   3. Weirong Xing
   4. Chandrasekhar Kesavan
   5. Sheila Pourteymoor
   6. Robert E Lewis
   7. David R Powell
   8. Subburaman Mohan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     This is a very valuable study that describes the bone phenotype and mechanism of the action of the obesity gene Ksr2. That there is a site-selective bone phenotype is interesting as is the identification of KSR2 as an actionable target.

     (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

5. Synthetic analysis of chromatin tracing and live-cell imaging indicates pervasive spatial coupling between genes

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Christopher H Bohrer
   2. Daniel R Larson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     The authors use their expertise in live-cell imaging and mathematical modeling to explore the relationship between chromatin structure, gene positioning and transcriptional co-regulation, using two publicly available datasets encompassing chromatin tracing and transcriptional activity. The resulting analysis reveals a weak association between transcription and proximity, but needs more statistical validation to strengthen the validity of the conclusions. With some clarifications and revisions, several findings, such as coupling of spatiotemporal positioning with activity, in-depth analysis of existing imaging/ChIP-seq datasets, could make this work impactful to both specialists and non-specialists.

     (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 names with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Human and macaque pairs employ different coordination strategies in a transparent decision game

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Sebastian Moeller
   2. Anton M Unakafov
   3. Julia Fischer
   4. Alexander Gail
   5. Stefan Treue
   6. Igor Kagan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     This paper by Möller and colleagues investigates and compares spontaneous turn-taking behavior by pairs of macaque monkeys and human participants in a social coordination game. The study uses a novel format for interaction - the "transparent game" in which subjects play together on a clear glass screen, so that decisions take on properties of continuousness. The results suggest differences between species in their tendencies toward cooperative, mutually beneficial behaviors, with humans exhibiting more prosocial tendencies. Interestingly, training with humans could encourage the monkeys to become less selfish and adopt a turn-taking strategy. The behavior analyses are rigorous and convincingly support the conclusions, and the study is likely to be of interest to researchers in the field of social neuroscience and decision-making, as well as to a more general audience who studies cognition, psychology, economics, especially game theory, and animal behavior.

     (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. Optogenetic induction of appetitive and aversive taste memories in Drosophila

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Meghan Jelen
   2. Pierre-Yves Musso
   3. Pierre Junca
   4. Michael D Gordon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important work convincingly shows that taste memory formation requires the same circuit substrates and mechanisms as olfactory memory formation. While the exact mechanisms remain to be elucidated, the compelling data and approach represent a valuable foundation for the study of molecular and circuit mechanisms underpinning taste memory formation and the role of brain energy therein. This study will be of particular interest to the large community of scientists studying the mechanisms and circuits of memory formation in the fly and possibly beyond.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Didemnin B and ternatin-4 differentially inhibit conformational changes in eEF1A required for aminoacyl-tRNA accommodation into mammalian ribosomes

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Manuel F Juette
   2. Jordan D Carelli
   3. Emily J Rundlet
   4. Alan Brown
   5. Sichen Shao
   6. Angelica Ferguson
   7. Michael R Wasserman
   8. Mikael Holm
   9. Jack Taunton
   10. Scott C Blanchard

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment:

     Juette and coworkers employed single-molecule fluorescence, cryogenic-electron microscopy structures, and in vivo measurements to investigate the mechanism whereby two natural products with potential as cancer therapeutics, didemnin B and ternatin-4, act. The compounds are shown to inhibit tRNA accommodation within the ribosomal A site during translation elongation by interfering with movement of eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha after its activation by the GTPase activation site of the ribosome, with the degree and nature of this restriction differing subtly between the two compounds, leading to more marked differences in their effects on global translation and cell growth. The compelling results of this interdisciplinary work solidify prior conclusions, particularly on didemnin B, and illuminate the similarities and differences on how these two drugs interfere with the normal functioning of the elongating ribosome in vitro and inhibit protein synthesis and cell growth in vivo. Some revisions of figures and text are required to clarify the results and the authors' interpretations.

     (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, Reviewer #2 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Evidence for dopaminergic involvement in endogenous modulation of pain relief

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Simon Desch
   2. Petra Schweinhardt
   3. Ben Seymour
   4. Herta Flor
   5. Susanne Becker

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This is an important paper that is of interest to researchers interested in the psychological and neurochemical mechanisms of pain and pain relief. It shows that the perception of pain relief is modulated by controllability, surprise and novelty seeking. Moreover, these modulations are influenced by dopaminergic but not by opioidergic manipulations. These findings are supported by solid evidence.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Clonal transcriptomics identifies mechanisms of chemoresistance and empowers rational design of combination therapies

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Sophia A Wild
    2. Ian G Cannell
    3. Ashley Nicholls
    4. Katarzyna Kania
    5. Dario Bressan
    6. CRUK IMAXT Grand Challenge Team
    7. Gregory J Hannon
    8. Kirsty Sawicka

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment:

      This manuscript describes a highly novel barcoding strategy for forward genetic lineage tracing of tumor cells in vitro and in the in vivo environment. The technique, coined WILDseq, can be used to track cells present in vitro which are enriched or depleted in the in vivo environment. Treatment further contributes to clonal expansion and retraction and emergence of populations with sensitivity to alternate agents. The studies are rigorously conducted and are highly impactful.

      (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 names with the authors.)

    Reviewed by eLife