eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. p53-induced RNA-binding protein ZMAT3 inhibits transcription of a hexokinase to suppress mitochondrial respiration

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Ravi Kumar
   2. Simon Couly
   3. Bruna R Muys
   4. Xiao Ling Li
   5. Ioannis Grammatikakis
   6. Ragini Singh
   7. Mary Guest
   8. Xinyu Wen
   9. Wei Tang
   10. Stefan Ambs
   11. Lisa M Jenkins
   12. Erica C Pehrsson
   13. Raj Chari
   14. Tsung-Ping Su
   15. Ashish Lal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this study, the authors investigate the role of ZMAT3, a p53 target gene, in tumor suppression and RNA splicing regulation. Using quantitative proteomics, the authors uncover that ZMAT3 knockout leads to upregulation of HKDC1, a gene linked to mitochondrial respiration, and that ZMAT3 suppresses HKDC1 expression by inhibiting c-JUN-mediated transcription. This set of convincing evidence reveals a fundamental mechanism by which ZMAT3 contributes to p53-driven tumor suppression by regulating mitochondrial respiration.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Differential Regulation of Hepatic Macrophage Fate by Chi3l1 in MASLD

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Jia He
   2. Bo Chen
   3. Weiju Lu
   4. Xiong Wang
   5. Ruoxue Yang
   6. Chengxiang Deng
   7. Xiane Zhu
   8. Keqin Wang
   9. Lang Wang
   10. Cheng Xie
   11. Rui Li
   12. Xiaokang Lu
   13. Ruizhi Yang
   14. Cheng Peng
   15. Canpeng Li
   16. Zhao Shan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study investigates the function of Chi3l1 in hepatic macrophages in the context of MASLD, providing useful insights at a time when the distinct roles of Kupffer cells or monocyte-derived macrophages in this disease remain incompletely defined. The data suggests that CHI3L1 in Kupffer cells modulates glucose handling in obesity and mitigates systemic metabolic dysfunction and hepatic steatosis during high-fat, high-fructose feeding. However, the loss-of-function studies employing Kupffer cell restricted versus a pan myeloid Cre lines are not sufficient to support the assertion that CHI3L1 activity is confined to resident Kupffer cells. Additionally, the flow-cytometric analyses reveal a modest depletion of Kupffer cells and no recruitment of TIM4low monocyte-derived macrophages, indicating that the system reflects simple steatosis rather than substantial macrophage turnover or niche remodelling. While the findings are intriguing, further experimentation is required to clarify the cellular specificity and mechanistic basis of the phenotypes observed.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Engineering NIR-sighted bacteria

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Stefanie SM Meier
   2. Michael Hörzing
   3. Cornelia Böhm
   4. Emma LR Düthorn
   5. Heikki Takala
   6. René Uebe
   7. Andreas Möglich

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study establishes bathy phytochromes, a unique class of bacterial photoreceptors that respond to near-infrared light (NIR), as versatile tools for bacterial optogenetics. NIR light is a key control signal in optogenetics due to its deep tissue penetration and the ability to combine with existing red- and blue-light sensitive systems, but thus far, NIR-activated proteins have been poorly characterized. The strength of evidence is convincing, with comprehensive in vitro characterization, modular design strategies, and validation across different hosts, supporting the versatility and potential for these tools in biotechnological applications. This study should advance the fields of optogenetics and photobiology and inspire future work.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Functionally coupled ion channels begin co-assembling at the start of their synthesis

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Roya Pournejati
   2. Jessica M Huang
   3. Michael Ma
   4. Claudia M Moreno
   5. Oscar Vivas

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental manuscript provides compelling evidence that BK and CaV1.3 channels can co-localize as ensembles early in the biosynthetic pathway, including within the ER and Golgi. The findings, supported by a range of imaging and proximity assays, offer insights into channel organization in both heterologous and endogenous systems. The data substantiate the central claims, while highlighting intriguing mechanistic questions for future studies: the determinants of mRNA co-localization, the temporal dynamics of ensemble trafficking, and the physiological implications of pre-assembly for channel function at the plasma membrane.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Divergent C. elegans toxin alleles are suppressed by distinct mechanisms

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Stefan Zdraljevic
   2. Laura Walter-McNeill
   3. Giancarlo N Bruni
   4. Joshua S Bloom
   5. Daniel HW Leighton
   6. JB Collins
   7. Heriberto Marquez
   8. Noah Alexander
   9. Leonid Kruglyak

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides valuable insights into a new toxin-antidote element in C. elegans, the first naturally occurring unlinked toxin-antidote system where endogenous small RNA pathways post-transcriptionally suppress the toxin. The strength of evidence is solid, using a combination of genomic and experimental methods. Enthusiasm, however, is tempered by its reliance on meta-analysis of existing data sets and limited experimental evaluation.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Role of ADMA-histones in dual-strand piRNA source loci recognition by Rhino

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Raku Saito
   2. Hirotsugu Ishizu
   3. Ritsuko Harigai
   4. Kensaku Murano
   5. Yurika Namba
   6. Mikiko C Siomi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study identifies asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) modification of histones as a potential key determinant of the initial genomic binding of Rhino, a Drosophila-specific chromatin protein essential for piRNA cluster specification. The authors provide correlative genomic and imaging data to support their model, although functional validation of the proposed mechanism remains incomplete. Testing the redundancy between dART4 and dART1, which together could affect the prominent piRNA loci, in addition to the minor ones investigated in the manuscript, may change our assessment.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Risk-taking incentives predict aggression heuristics in female gorillas

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Nikolaos Smit
   2. Martha M Robbins

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study uses long-term behavioural observations to understand the factors that influence female-on-female aggression in gorilla social groups. The evidence supporting the claims is convincing, as it includes novel methods of assessing aggression and considers other potential factors. The work will be of interest to broad biologists working on the social interactions of animals.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The cytoplasm of living cells can sustain transient and steady intracellular pressure gradients

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Majid Malboubi
   2. Mohammad Hadi Esteki
   3. Malti B Vaghela
   4. Lulu IT Korsak
   5. Ryan J Petrie
   6. Emad Moeendarbary
   7. Guillaume Charras

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study combines imaginative and innovative experiments with a finite element modelling to demonstrate the relevance of poroelasticity in the mechanical properties of cells across physiologically relevant time and length scales. The authors present convincing evidence that cytosolic flows and pressure gradients can persist in cells with permeable membranes, generating spatially segregated influx and outflux zones. These findings are of interest to the cell biology and biophysics communities.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Using step selection functions to analyse human mobility using telemetry data in infectious disease epidemiology: a case study of leptospirosis

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Pablo Ruiz Cuenca
   2. Fábio N Souza
   3. Roberta Coutinho do Nascimento
   4. Ariane Goncalves da Silva
   5. Max T Eyre
   6. Juliet O Santana
   7. Daiana de Oliveira
   8. Emile V Ribeiro de Souza
   9. Fabiana G Palma
   10. Diogo C de Carvalho Santiago
   11. Priscyla dos Santos Ribeiro
   12. Priscilla Elizabeth Ferreira dos Santos
   13. Hussein Khalil
   14. Jonathan M Read
   15. Cleber Cremonese
   16. Federico Costa
   17. Emanuele Giorgi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study makes a novel and valuable contribution by adapting step selection functions, traditionally used in animal ecology, to explore human movement and environmental risk exposure in urban slums, offering a promising framework for spatial epidemiology, particularly regarding leptospirosis. The integration of GPS telemetry with environmental data and the stratification by gender and serostatus are notable strengths that enhance the study's relevance for public health applications. The strength of evidence is compelling.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Minus the Error: Testing for Positive Selection in the Presence of Residual Alignment Errors

    This article has 9 authors:

    1. Avery Selberg
    2. Nathan L Clark
    3. Timothy B Sackton
    4. Spencer V Muse
    5. Alexander G Lucaci
    6. Steven Weaver
    7. Anton Nekrutenko
    8. Maria Chikina
    9. Sergei L Kosakovsky Pond

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      Alignment and sequencing errors are a major concern in molecular evolution, and this valuable study represents a welcome improvement for genome-wide scans of positive selection. This new method seems to perform well and is generally convincing, although the evidence could be made more direct and more complete through additional simulations to determine the extent to which alignment errors are being properly captured.

    Reviewed by eLife