eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations of Synaptotagmin-SNARE-complexin complexes bridging a vesicle and a flat lipid bilayer

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Josep Rizo
   2. Levent Sari
   3. Yife Qi
   4. Wonpil Im
   5. Milo M Lin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This study investigates the release machinery of synaptic vesicles prior to SNARE-mediated fusion using atomistically detailed molecular dynamics simulations. While the approach provides an unparalleled perspective on a complex process that has eluded direct experimental access, the physiological relevance of the conclusions is not clear yet because of the short duration and necessary molecular approximations and assumptions underlying the simulations. The work will be of interest to all who study vesicle fusions.

     (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

2. Generation of vascularized brain organoids to study neurovascular interactions

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Xin-Yao Sun
   2. Xiang-Chun Ju
   3. Yang Li
   4. Peng-Ming Zeng
   5. Jian Wu
   6. Ying-Ying Zhou
   7. Li-Bing Shen
   8. Jian Dong
   9. Yue-Jun Chen
   10. Zhen-Ge Luo

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper puts forward a new approach to generate vascularized brain organoids to copy in vivo structures, which will be of interest to neurobiologists working in both basic and disease-related areas of neuroscience. The novelty of their approach lies in the simultaneous production of vessel-like networks and brain-resident microglia immune cells in a single organoid. The fusion of brain and vessel organoids (fVBOrs) resulted in robust engraftment of vessel-like structures and microglia around ventricular zone (VZ)-like structures, correlating with increased neuronal progenitors. The conclusions are mostly well supported by the data, but a few points need to be clarified and some conclusions would benefit from further experimental support.

     (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

3. Modelling the response to vaccine in non-human primates to define SARS-CoV-2 mechanistic correlates of protection

   This article has 23 authors:

   1. Marie Alexandre
   2. Romain Marlin
   3. Mélanie Prague
   4. Severin Coleon
   5. Nidhal Kahlaoui
   6. Sylvain Cardinaud
   7. Thibaut Naninck
   8. Benoit Delache
   9. Mathieu Surenaud
   10. Mathilde Galhaut
   11. Nathalie Dereuddre-Bosquet
   12. Mariangela Cavarelli
   13. Pauline Maisonnasse
   14. Mireille Centlivre
   15. Christine Lacabaratz
   16. Aurelie Wiedemann
   17. Sandra Zurawski
   18. Gerard Zurawski
   19. Olivier Schwartz
   20. Rogier W Sanders
   21. Roger Le Grand
   22. Yves Levy
   23. Rodolphe Thiébaut

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This work should be of interest to a broad readership in infectious diseases, especially those people interested in modeling of infections. It combines statistical and mechanistic modeling to find assayable correlates of immunity for vaccines. This method could be relevant to many diseases or vaccines, although the particular markers identified here likely will be limited in their generalizability.

     (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, ScreenIT

4. C/EBPδ-induced epigenetic changes control the dynamic gene transcription of S100a8 and S100a9

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Saskia-Larissa Jauch-Speer
   2. Marisol Herrera-Rivero
   3. Nadine Ludwig
   4. Bruna Caroline Véras De Carvalho
   5. Leonie Martens
   6. Jonas Wolf
   7. Achmet Imam Chasan
   8. Anika Witten
   9. Birgit Markus
   10. Bernhard Schieffer
   11. Thomas Vogl
   12. Jan Rossaint
   13. Monika Stoll
   14. Johannes Roth
   15. Olesja Fehler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript by Jauch-Speer and colleagues uses a CRISPR/Cas9 screening approach in a myeloid cell line to identify C/EBP-delta as a regulator of the alarmins S100A8 and S100A9, which amplify inflammation. This paper is of great interest to macrophage biologists studying macrophage function in inflammatory diseases. In an elegant series of gene targeting and sequencing studies, the authors also characterized epigenetic mechanisms regulating the expression of these pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, human monocytes from cardiovascular patient cohorts showed correlative changes, indicating possible clinical relevance.

     (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

5. Spatially bivariate EEG-neurofeedback can manipulate interhemispheric inhibition

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Masaaki Hayashi
   2. Kohei Okuyama
   3. Nobuaki Mizuguchi
   4. Ryotaro Hirose
   5. Taisuke Okamoto
   6. Michiyuki Kawakami
   7. Junichi Ushiba

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript presents a novel EEG-based, real-time feedback approach that enables healthy participants to independently self-regulate excitability of the left versus the right hemisphere. Using this unique approach, the authors demonstrate that their paradigm could have the potential to modulate the neural interplay between both hemispheres which is relevant for the field of neurorehabilitation.

     (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

6. UP-DOWN states and ripples differentially modulate membrane potential dynamics across DG, CA3, and CA1 in awake mice

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Koichiro Kajikawa
   2. Brad K Hulse
   3. Athanassios G Siapas
   4. Evgueniy V Lubenov

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This study uses dual intracellular and extracellular recordings in different subfields of the hippocampus in awake mice during immobility to investigate the initiation of sharp wave-ripples, synchronous bursts of hippocampal activity thought to be important for memory formation. It provides unique data obtained in vivo across a diversity of hippocampal cell types. Specifically, these findings lead to a model where inhibition of CA3 pyramidal cells is permissive to ripple generation.

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

   Reviewed by eLife

7. CLUH controls astrin-1 expression to couple mitochondrial metabolism to cell cycle progression

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Désirée Schatton
   2. Giada Di Pietro
   3. Karolina Szczepanowska
   4. Matteo Veronese
   5. Marie-Charlotte Marx
   6. Kristina Braunöhler
   7. Esther Barth
   8. Stefan Müller
   9. Patrick Giavalisco
   10. Thomas Langer
   11. Aleksandra Trifunovic
   12. Elena I Rugarli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper is of interest for cell biologists studying metabolism and its regulation during the cell cycle, as it demonstrates cross-talk between the CLUH protein, involved in mitochondrial function regulation and metabolism, and astrin, a protein functionally involved in cell division through regulation of centrosome integrity. This physical and functional interaction serves as a hub to integrate the metabolism with cell cycle progression.

     (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

8. Earliest evidence for fruit consumption and potential seed dispersal by birds

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Han Hu
   2. Yan Wang
   3. Paul G McDonald
   4. Stephen Wroe
   5. Jingmai K O'Connor
   6. Alexander Bjarnason
   7. Joseph J Bevitt
   8. Xuwei Yin
   9. Xiaoting Zheng
   10. Zhonghe Zhou
   11. Roger BJ Benson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This article will be of interest to paleobiologists studying the evolution of avian diets and/or prehistoric ecosystem dynamics. The study uses an exceptional new specimen of an early diverging stem bird with a near-complete skull, to reassess diet in the taxon and explore possible early mechanisms for bird-mediated seed dispersal. The claim for frugivory is currently insufficiently supported.

     (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

9. De novo-designed transmembrane domains tune engineered receptor functions

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Assaf Elazar
   2. Nicholas J Chandler
   3. Ashleigh S Davey
   4. Jonathan Y Weinstein
   5. Julie V Nguyen
   6. Raphael Trenker
   7. Ryan S Cross
   8. Misty R Jenkins
   9. Melissa J Call
   10. Matthew E Call
   11. Sarel J Fleishman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This is an interesting paper that uses de novo protein design to probe the effects of oligomerization state on the activity of chimeric antigen receptors (CARS). The successful design of transmembrane domains with specific oligomeric states is an impressive result on its own. The proteins were designed using rotamer-based sequence optimization in Rosetta with an energy function specific for the membrane environment. After experimentally evaluating a couple rounds of designs, the investigators settled on a design protocol that also included screening of the design candidates with docking simulations in alternative oligomerization states to check that the sequences preferred the desired oligomerization state. The designs were experimentally evaluated with gel electrophoresis and X-ray crystallography. In the end, designs that adopted well-defined dimers, trimers, or tetramers were created and carried forward in experiments as CARs.

     (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

10. Dnmt3a knockout in excitatory neurons impairs postnatal synapse maturation and increases the repressive histone modification H3K27me3

    This article has 18 authors:

    1. Junhao Li
    2. Antonio Pinto-Duarte
    3. Mark Zander
    4. Michael S Cuoco
    5. Chi-Yu Lai
    6. Julia Osteen
    7. Linjing Fang
    8. Chongyuan Luo
    9. Jacinta D Lucero
    10. Rosa Gomez-Castanon
    11. Joseph R Nery
    12. Isai Silva-Garcia
    13. Yan Pang
    14. Terrence J Sejnowski
    15. Susan B Powell
    16. Joseph R Ecker
    17. Eran A Mukamel
    18. M Margarita Behrens

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      In this manuscript the authors conditionally knock out the DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3a in developing excitatory cortical neurons to determine the consequences for chromatin regulation, gene expression, and neuron function. As expected they find widespread loss of DNA methylation at CpA dinucleotides but also an increase in histone methylation (H3K27me3) at many similar regions of the genome, which they speculate may be a mechanism of functional compensation. Overall this study offers new insights into the gene regulatory and neuronal cellular functions of an important chromatin regulatory protein.

      (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