eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Anatomical and functional connectivity support the existence of a salience network node within the caudal ventrolateral prefrontal cortex

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Lucas R Trambaiolli
   2. Xiaolong Peng
   3. Julia F Lehman
   4. Gary Linn
   5. Brian E Russ
   6. Charles E Schroeder
   7. Hesheng Liu
   8. Suzanne N Haber

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This is an interesting quantitative study of the anatomical connections of a region of prefrontal cortex that has often been overlooked - the Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex. The idea that this is a special region that is different to both the rest of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and probably the rest of orbitofrontal cortex is important because it helps us understand some otherwise puzzling results. The quantitative analysis of connections is an unusual strength of the study as is the comparison of tracer data in macaques, fMRI connectivity data in macaques, and human fMRI connectivity 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 #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Cohesin-dependence of neuronal gene expression relates to chromatin loop length

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Lesly Calderon
   2. Felix D Weiss
   3. Jonathan A Beagan
   4. Marta S Oliveira
   5. Radina Georgieva
   6. Yi-Fang Wang
   7. Thomas S Carroll
   8. Gopuraja Dharmalingam
   9. Wanfeng Gong
   10. Kyoko Tossell
   11. Vincenzo de Paola
   12. Chad Whilding
   13. Mark A Ungless
   14. Amanda G Fisher
   15. Jennifer E Phillips-Cremins
   16. Matthias Merkenschlager

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Neurons use activity-responsive gene programs to shape cell specific identity and respond appropriately to environmental stimuli. By combining elegant protein degradation and cell-specific knockout approaches with transcriptional profiling and chromatin structure analysis, this manuscript delineates the contributions of cohesin (a key protein responsible for genome structure and organization), in activity-dependent gene expression programs and stimulus-dependent chromatin reorganization. These results demonstrate that cohesin is required for full expression of key genes required for the maturation and activation of cortical excitatory neurons, and reveal a tight correlation between cohesin effects and the genomic distance of higher order chromatin loops.

     (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. Young domestic chicks spontaneously represent the absence of objects

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Eszter Szabó
   2. Cinzia Chiandetti
   3. Ernő Téglás
   4. Elisabetta Versace
   5. Gergely Csibra
   6. Ágnes Melinda Kovács
   7. Giorgio Vallortigara

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The research detailed in this manuscript investigates whether young chicks represent the absence of objects. This work is important to multiple fields of inquiry such as ethology and neuroscience, and is the first time this ability has been studied spontaneously in such a population, as opposed to after many trials of experience. The data effectively support most of the conclusions, though a few elements need clarification, especially in regards to possible sex-dependent representations of absence.

     (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

4. Selection for infectivity profiles in slow and fast epidemics, and the rise of SARS-CoV-2 variants

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. François Blanquart
   2. Nathanaël Hozé
   3. Benjamin John Cowling
   4. Florence Débarre
   5. Simon Cauchemez

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript will be of broad interest to readers interested in understanding characteristics of variants in ongoing epidemics that lead to faster (or slower) growth rates, and will be of particular interest to those wishing to understand the factors leading to selection of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The transmission advantage of a novel strain of a pathogen depends not only on its relative transmissibility, but also on its generation time relative to other strains; the relation between transmissibility, transmission advantage and generation time changes across different phases of the epidemic, enabling statistical inferences to be made about both the transmissibility advantage and generation time of an emerging variant. The method is supported by simulation studies and applied to the Alpha and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants to show that selection was likely driven by changes in transmissibility rather than changes in the generation time.

     (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

5. Amoxicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae can be resensitized by targeting the mevalonate pathway as indicated by sCRilecs-seq

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Liselot Dewachter
   2. Julien Dénéréaz
   3. Xue Liu
   4. Vincent de Bakker
   5. Charlotte Costa
   6. Mara Baldry
   7. Jean-Claude Sirard
   8. Jan-Willem Veening

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Three experts in the field reviewed this manuscript from slightly different perspectives. All three reviewers are generally positive about this interesting, well-presented paper and think that it leads to several advances in the field. However, the reviewers also think changes can be made that would considerably strengthen the current version and its impact. Specific modifications have been requested to improve analysis of the screening data, to discuss hits besides the mevalonate pathway that increase Streptococcus pneumoniae cell length and shape, to clarify some issues about how mevalonate depletion changes pneumococcal cell shape and peptidoglycan synthesis, and to provide more context for clomiphene potentiation of amoxicillin killing of Streptococcus pneumoniae in comparison to previously published results in Staphylococcus aureus.

     (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

6. Air pollution particles hijack peroxidasin to disrupt immunosurveillance and promote lung cancer

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Zhenzhen Wang
   2. Ziyu Zhai
   3. Chunyu Chen
   4. Xuejiao Tian
   5. Zhen Xing
   6. Panfei Xing
   7. Yushun Yang
   8. Junfeng Zhang
   9. Chunming Wang
   10. Lei Dong

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This is an interesting study that reveals a completely new mechanism by which inhaled fine particles may promote lung tumor development. The authors provide direct evidence that protein corona on those foreign objects can elicit such adverse effects. Their findings highlight the importance of the corona-endowed, 'new' bioactivity of nanomaterials in vivo - and even in a particular tissue-lungs.

     (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. Lowland plant arrival in alpine ecosystems facilitates a decrease in soil carbon content under experimental climate warming

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Tom WN Walker
   2. Konstantin Gavazov
   3. Thomas Guillaume
   4. Thibault Lambert
   5. Pierre Mariotte
   6. Devin Routh
   7. Constant Signarbieux
   8. Sebastián Block
   9. Tamara Münkemüller
   10. Hanna Nomoto
   11. Thomas W Crowther
   12. Andreas Richter
   13. Alexandre Buttler
   14. Jake M Alexander

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript reports that when lowland plants were transplanted into alpine turfs under lowland climatic conditions, they rapidly increase soil microbial decomposition of carbon stocks due to root exudates feeding the microbes. The authors conclude that when lowland plants migrate to alpine sites and these warm up, they may also cause a pulse of carbon loss from soil. An alternative explanation of their findings might be that when alpine plants are transplanted into alpine turfs under lowland climatic conditions, these are unable to increase soil microbial decomposition as much as lowland plants because the latter are better adapted to their climatic home environment.

     (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 #4 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Strategy-dependent effects of working-memory limitations on human perceptual decision-making

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Kyra Schapiro
   2. Krešimir Josić
   3. Zachary P Kilpatrick
   4. Joshua I Gold

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper employs sophisticated modeling of human behavior in well-controlled tasks to study how limitations of working memory constrain decision-making. Because both are key cognitive processes, that have so far largely been studied in isolation, the paper should be of broad interest to neuroscientists and psychologists. The observed working memory limitations support and extend previous findings, but some of the most interesting claims need additional 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. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Intracranial human recordings reveal association between neural activity and perceived intensity for the pain of others in the insula

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Efe Soyman
   2. Rune Bruls
   3. Kalliopi Ioumpa
   4. Laura Müller-Pinzler
   5. Selene Gallo
   6. Chaoyi Qin
   7. Elisabeth CW van Straaten
   8. Matthew W Self
   9. Judith C Peters
   10. Jessy K Possel
   11. Yoshiyuki Onuki
   12. Johannes C Baayen
   13. Sander Idema
   14. Christian Keysers
   15. Valeria Gazzola

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Soyman and colleagues investigate intensity coding for the "pain of others" in the human insula with intracranial human recordings. Additional data of a related fMRI study is analyzed and discussed in the context of the intracranial data. The paper addresses an important research question of broad interest, with extremely unusual data which is investigated in considerable detail.

     (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

10. Memory B Cells Induced by Sputnik V Vaccination Produce SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies Upon Ex Vivo Restimulation

    This article has 10 authors:

    1. Maria G. Byazrova
    2. Sergey V. Kulemzin
    3. Ekaterina A. Astakhova
    4. Tatyana N. Belovezhets
    5. Grigory A. Efimov
    6. Anton N. Chikaev
    7. Ilya O. Kolotygin
    8. Andrey A. Gorchakov
    9. Alexander V. Taranin
    10. Alexander V. Filatov

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      In this study Byazrova and colleagues provide an assessment of antibody and B cell responses in a small cohort of naïve and previously infected individuals after Sputnik V immunisation. This research will be of interest to those in the fields of vaccinology and immunology, providing some insight into B cell responses following Sputnik V vaccination.

      (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