eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Unsuppressed HIV infection impairs T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and abrogates T cell cross-recognition

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Thandeka Nkosi
   2. Caroline Chasara
   3. Andrea O Papadopoulos
   4. Tiza L Nguni
   5. Farina Karim
   6. Mahomed-Yunus S Moosa
   7. Inbal Gazy
   8. Kondwani Jambo
   9. COMMIT-KZN-Team
   10. Willem Hanekom
   11. Alex Sigal
   12. Zaza M Ndhlovu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The study shows that individuals with unsuppressed HIV infection had poorer T cell polyfunctionality and lower cross-reactive responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants compared to those who were HIV negative or aviremic. The conclusions of this paper are well supported by the data and will be of interest to clinicians, immunologists, and public health practitioners, particularly in Southern Africa.

     (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

2. Molecular characteristics and laminar distribution of prefrontal neurons projecting to the mesolimbic system

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Ákos Babiczky
   2. Ferenc Matyas

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This study examined the nature of projections from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The authors show that PFC projections to NAc and VTA are largely non-overlapping, originate in different layers of PFC, and express different molecular markers. This study provides high-quality data to the long-standing question.

     (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. Combining transgenesis with paratransgenesis to fight malaria

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Wei Huang
   2. Joel Vega-Rodriguez
   3. Chritopher Kizito
   4. Sung-Jae Cha
   5. Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This study tests the potential of using a combination of mosquito-based approaches, transgenesis and paratransgenesis, for malaria control relative to the use of the individual technologies. The results show that a combination of approaches can be more powerful at preventing the transmission of malaria parasites, opening the possibility of using similar combination approaches to reduce the malaria burden. The findings will be interesting for a broad audience of mosquito biologists and malaria researchers, but as they are limited to a specific transgenic-paratransgenic combination, more work will be needed to determine the true potential of this strategy for disease 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. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Selenocyanate derived Se-incorporation into the nitrogenase Fe protein cluster

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Trixia M Buscagan
   2. Jens T Kaiser
   3. Douglas C Rees

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript describes the unexpected observation of selenium exchange into an iron-sulfur cluster cofactor of a component of nitrogenase. The work sets the stage for future mechanistic study of this phenomenon. It also provides a roadmap for the study of sulfide exchange in other classes of iron-sulfur cluster 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. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

5. The cytokine receptor DR3 identifies and activates thymic NKT17 cells

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Shunqun Luo
   2. Nurcin Liman
   3. Assiatu Crossman
   4. Jung-Hyun Park

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript by Luo et al. showed that the cytokine receptor DR3 is selectively expressed on thymic NKT17 cells and DR3 ligation leads to the activation of NKT17 cells in the thymus. Overall, The presented experiment are properly executed, controlled and presented. The finding that DR3 acts as a costimulatory molecule for thymic NKT17 cells is interesting. The mechanism and the functional relevance of this finding remain wanting.

     (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

6. Regionally distinct trophoblast regulate barrier function and invasion in the human placenta

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Bryan Marsh
   2. Yan Zhou
   3. Mirhan Kapidzic
   4. Susan Fisher
   5. Robert Blelloch

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     By using single-cell RNA sequencing, elegant computational approaches, protein validation, and in vitro functional assays, this study characterizes the cellular composition and gene expression profiles of the human placenta in mid-gestation. The findings and dataset provided by the authors represent an important resource for readers interested in human development and placenta biology. However, conclusions require additional 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

7. Evolutionary divergence of anaphase spindle mechanics in nematode embryos constrained by antagonistic pulling and viscous forces

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Dhruv Khatri
   2. Thibault Brugière
   3. Chaitanya A. Athale
   4. Marie Delattre

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This work will be of interest to cell biologists studying the mechanism of asymmetric cell division and its diversity across species. Building on their earlier work, the authors show that that there is considerable variability in the mechanics of the spindle among six nematode species studied here. While the authors' main conclusion is plausible - that spindle oscillations require high force and low viscosity - stronger support by the data would be needed.

     (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. Discovery of Fungus-Specific Targets and Inhibitors Using Chemical Phenotyping of Pathogenic Spore Germination

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Sébastien C. Ortiz
   2. Mingwei Huang
   3. Christina M. Hull

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This study is an extension of previous work by the same authors, which established a two step high-throughput screening approach to monitor germination and growth of fungal spores of the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans and identified an FDA-approved drug with antifungal activity (DOI: 10.1128/AAC.00994-19). The current work extends this approach to three libraries of drug-like molecules comprising 75,000 candidate compounds and employs automated image analysis methods to identify classes of inhibition phenotypes. The key result of this work is the identification of 191 inhibitors, of which 76 could be grouped in to 8 classes based on chemical structure - inhibitors that share structural similarities tend to share phenotypic impact.

     (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

9. Pseudomonas aeruginosa C-Terminal Processing Protease CtpA Assembles into a Hexameric Structure That Requires Activation by a Spiral-Shaped Lipoprotein-Binding Partner

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Hao-Chi Hsu
   2. Michelle Wang
   3. Amanda Kovach
   4. Andrew J. Darwin
   5. Huilin Li

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper demonstrates an inactive protease in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, CtpA, is regulated by am outer membrane lipoprotein LbcA. Using crystallization and EM strategies, they also provide a complex structure; however, the precise mechanism of regulation is speculative due to the flexible arrangement of protein domains.

     (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

10. Force-Induced Changes of PilY1 Drive Surface Sensing by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

    This article has 10 authors:

    1. Shanice S. Webster
    2. Marion Mathelié-Guinlet
    3. Andreia F. Verissimo
    4. Daniel Schultz
    5. Albertus Viljoen
    6. Calvin K. Lee
    7. William C. Schmidt
    8. Gerard C. L. Wong
    9. Yves F. Dufrêne
    10. George A. O’Toole

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This study demonstrates that a cysteine residue (C152) in the vWA domain of the type-iV pili tip-associated protein, PilY1 impacts surface sensing, biofilm formation and cyclic-di-GMP signaling in Pseduomonas aeruginosa. Well-executed experiments provide insight into the events that initiate cell adhesion and colonisation, the understanding of which has important implications for human health. The work will be of interest to microbiologists in general.

      (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