eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Photoreceptors generate neuronal diversity in their target field through a Hedgehog morphogen gradient in Drosophila

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Matthew P Bostock
   2. Anadika R Prasad
   3. Alicia Donoghue
   4. Vilaiwan M Fernandes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     In this paper, Bostock and Fernandes show that photoreceptor axons provide a graded Hedgehog signal to their target region, the lamina, that is highest in the distal and lowest in the proximal lamina. High levels of Hh favor specification of the distally located lamina neurons L2 and L3, while low levels favor specification of the proximal L5 neurons. This graded response raises interesting parallels with the patterning of the vertebrate spinal cord. The paper will be of special interest to those who study optic lobe development, but will also be of more general interest to developmental neurobiology.

     This manuscript was co-submitted with: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.13.472383v2

     (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. ATP binding facilitates target search of SWR1 chromatin remodeler by promoting one-dimensional diffusion on DNA

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Claudia C Carcamo
   2. Matthew F Poyton
   3. Anand Ranjan
   4. Giho Park
   5. Robert K Louder
   6. Xinyu A Feng
   7. Jee Min Kim
   8. Thuc Dzu
   9. Carl Wu
   10. Taekjip Ha

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Using biophysical measurements, this work establishes that the SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex, which directs incorporation of the histone variant H2A.Z adjacent to nucleosome depleted regions, preferentially associates with longer DNA fragments. It is proposed that larger stretches of free DNA determine the specificity of the complex in vivo. These findings will be of general interest to researchers interested in understanding how chromatin remodelling enzymes act to influence the localisation of histone variants.

     (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

3. Cryo-EM structures reveal that RFC recognizes both the 3′- and 5′-DNA ends to load PCNA onto gaps for DNA repair

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Fengwei Zheng
   2. Roxana Georgescu
   3. Nina Y Yao
   4. Huilin Li
   5. Michael E O'Donnell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The role of Replication Factor C (RFC) in DNA replication and repair has been known for many years. RFC/PCNA binds to a double strand-single strand DNA junction with a 3'-recessed end, with the DNA passing through a central chamber in the five-subunit protein. The current paper reports structures of RFC/PCNA with two separate DNA molecules, one containing the well characterized 3'-recessed DNA and surprisingly, a second 5'-recessed DNA outside the central chamber.The paper is an important addition to understanding RFC function, particularly in DNA repair, but it could be improved with some clarifications. The work is of interest to all studying DNA replication.

     (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 name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Syntaxin-1A modulates vesicle fusion in mammalian neurons via juxtamembrane domain dependent palmitoylation of its transmembrane domain

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Gülçin Vardar
   2. Andrea Salazar-Lázaro
   3. Sina Zobel
   4. Thorsten Trimbuch
   5. Christian Rosenmund

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Exocytosis of synaptic vesicles is mediated by synaptic SNARE proteins that overcome the energy barrier for membrane fusion by assembling into a helical bundle, thus pulling the membranes together. Here the authors have introduced mutations into the membrane-proximal region and transmembrane domain of one of the SNAREs (syntaxin 1a) showing that not only charge reversal but also palmitoylation of the transmembrane domain influence both spontaneous and evoked neurotransmitter release. The results add important details to our understanding of the late steps in SNARE-mediated exocytosis.

     (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. Unique neural coding of crucial versus irrelevant plant odors in a hawkmoth

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Sonja Bisch-Knaden
   2. Michelle A Rafter
   3. Markus Knaden
   4. Bill S Hansson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript is of particular interest to researchers in the fields of neuroecology of insect olfaction and of insect-plant interactions in general. The authors investigate the olfactory signals that guide the specialist hawkmoth Manduca sexta towards plants that are used for oviposition and for nectar-feeding in a natural setting. How insects distinguish useful information from irrelevant information is an important question. The authors use elegant chemical ecology techniques and recordings of neuronal activity to ask how female moths (Manduca sexta) could discriminate co-occurring behaviorally relevant vs irrelevant plant and floral volatiles.

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

   Reviewed by eLife

6. A genetically-defined population in the lateral and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray selectively promotes flight to safety

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Mimi La-Vu
   2. Ekayana Sethi
   3. Sandra Maesta-Pereira
   4. Peter J Schuette
   5. Brooke C Tobias
   6. Fernando MCV Reis
   7. Weisheng Wang
   8. Saskia J Leonard
   9. Lilly Lin
   10. Avishek Adhikari

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The paper presents a tour de force examination of the role of PAG CCK neurons in threat. It is exemplary in the use of a variety of high and low threat tasks along with corresponding behavioural measures, as well as gain and loss of CCK function approaches. The results reported will be of significant benefit for those studying the behavioural and neural mechanisms of learned and unlearned threat, and decision-making in threatening situations.

     (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

7. Tonic inhibition of the chloride/proton antiporter ClC-7 by PI(3,5)P2 is crucial for lysosomal pH maintenance

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Xavier Leray
   2. Jacob K Hilton
   3. Kamsi Nwangwu
   4. Alissa Becerril
   5. Vedrana Mikusevic
   6. Gabriel Fitzgerald
   7. Anowarul Amin
   8. Mary R Weston
   9. Joseph A Mindell

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The focus of the manuscript is the lysosomal Cl-/H+ transporter CLC-7. The main finding is the direct regulation of CLC-7 by PI(3,5)P2, which keeps CLC-7 inactive. This finding may explain the lysosomal and cellular phenotype of a newly identified gain-of-function mutation in CLC-7 that causes lysosomal hyperacidification and large vacuoles.

     (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

8. US women screen at low rates for both cervical and colorectal cancers than a single cancer: a cross-sectional population-based observational study

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Diane M Harper
   2. Melissa Plegue
   3. Masahito Jimbo
   4. Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin
   5. Ananda Sen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The authors analyzed a national database to gain insights on deficits in cervical and colorectal cancer screening in the United States. Their work may provide a set of predictors to enhance health promotion messaging to women who are underscreened and thus eliminate disparities in cancer control.

     (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. Rapid transgenerational adaptation in response to intercropping reduces competition

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Laura Stefan
   2. Nadine Engbersen
   3. Christian Schöb

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper is of potential interest to people working at the interface between agronomy, ecology, and evolution. By growing experimental mixtures of crop species, i.e., intercrops, the study aims at testing whether positive interactions between species grown in association strengthen over generations of coexistence. The data are original and of high quality, and the statistical analysis are rigorous. The interpretation of the Results as well as the Discussion and Conclusions currently ignore an important discrepancy in the results for competition versus overall yield.

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

   Reviewed by eLife

10. FSH-blocking therapeutic for osteoporosis

    This article has 46 authors:

    1. Sakshi Gera
    2. Tan-Chun Kuo
    3. Anisa Azatovna Gumerova
    4. Funda Korkmaz
    5. Damini Sant
    6. Victoria DeMambro
    7. Karthyayani Sudha
    8. Ashley Padilla
    9. Geoffrey Prevot
    10. Jazz Munitz
    11. Abraham Teunissen
    12. Mandy MT van Leent
    13. Tomas GJM Post
    14. Jessica C Fernandes
    15. Jessica Netto
    16. Farhath Sultana
    17. Eleanor Shelly
    18. Satish Rojekar
    19. Pushkar Kumar
    20. Liam Cullen
    21. Jiya Chatterjee
    22. Anusha Pallapati
    23. Sari Miyashita
    24. Hasni Kannangara
    25. Megha Bhongade
    26. Puja Sengupta
    27. Kseniia Ievleva
    28. Valeriia Muradova
    29. Rogerio Batista
    30. Cemre Robinson
    31. Anne Macdonald
    32. Susan Hutchison
    33. Mansi Saxena
    34. Marcia Meseck
    35. John Caminis
    36. Jameel Iqbal
    37. Maria I New
    38. Vitaly Ryu
    39. Se-Min Kim
    40. Jay J Cao
    41. Neeha Zaidi
    42. Zahi A Fayad
    43. Daria Lizneva
    44. Clifford J Rosen
    45. Tony Yuen
    46. Mone Zaidi

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      The authors describe a comprehensive characterization of a new humanized FSH blocking antibody (MS-Hu6), which they have studied in-depth in terms of its efficacy on bone and fat tissues. They provide compelling data on mouse and monkey species with a complete evaluation of its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution and characterize its effect for the treatment of obesity and bone loss. It is an important contribution and will be useful to a general readership in endocrinology, bone and fat metabolism.

      (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