eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Physical observables to determine the nature of membrane-less cellular sub-compartments

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Mathias L Heltberg
   2. Judith Miné-Hattab
   3. Angela Taddei
   4. Aleksandra M Walczak
   5. Thierry Mora

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     There has been a lively debate recently concerning the multiplicity of reported observations of phase-separated compartments inside of cells. Specifically, some claims of phase separation have been challenged, and an alternative model put forward in which clustering of observed particles is due to a clustering of binding sites with no phase separation. The current study does an admirable job of proposing and analyzing ways of distinguishing these two scenarios.

     (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

2. Gated recurrence enables simple and accurate sequence prediction in stochastic, changing, and structured environments

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Cédric Foucault
   2. Florent Meyniel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     There has been a longstanding interest in developing normative models of how humans handle latent information in stochastic and volatile environments. This study examines recurrent neural network models trained on sequence-prediction tasks analogous to those used in human cognitive studies. The results demonstrate that such models lead to highly accurate predictions for challenging sequences in which the statistics are non-stationary and change at random times. This is a novel and remarkable result that opens up new avenues for cognitive modelling.

     (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

3. Preexisting memory CD4 T cells in naïve individuals confer robust immunity upon hepatitis B vaccination

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. George Elias
   2. Pieter Meysman
   3. Esther Bartholomeus
   4. Nicolas De Neuter
   5. Nina Keersmaekers
   6. Arvid Suls
   7. Hilde Jansens
   8. Aisha Souquette
   9. Hans De Reu
   10. Marie-Paule Emonds
   11. Evelien Smits
   12. Eva Lion
   13. Paul G Thomas
   14. Geert Mortier
   15. Pierre Van Damme
   16. Philippe Beutels
   17. Kris Laukens
   18. Viggo Van Tendeloo
   19. Benson Ogunjimi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     By using modern high-throughput sequencing this paper demonstrates the antibody mediated immune responses that are elicited by vaccination are improved by pre-existing memory CD4 T cell responses. Moreover, the experimental data are an important contribution and may also be useful as a data resource for future research. All reviewers agree that the findings are of great interest. However, there are still some clarifications needed in statistical analytical and validations so they convincingly support the conclusions.

     (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 names with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Branched ubiquitin chain binding and deubiquitination by UCH37 facilitate proteasome clearance of stress-induced inclusions

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Aixin Song
   2. Zachary Hazlett
   3. Dulith Abeykoon
   4. Jeremy Dortch
   5. Andrew Dillon
   6. Justin Curtiss
   7. Sarah Bollinger Martinez
   8. Christopher P Hill
   9. Clinton Yu
   10. Lan Huang
   11. David Fushman
   12. Robert E Cohen
   13. Tingting Yao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript addresses the role of the deubiquitylating enzyme UCH37 in facilitating proteasomal clearance of branched polyubiquitylated substrates. Using a wide-range of chemical biological, biophysical and cell biological techniques, the authors have convincingly demonstrated that UCH37 binds to branched ubiquitin trimers, with at least one K48 linkage, by binding to both distal ubiquitins attached to the proximal, or central, ubiquitin. They further demonstrate that mutations of UCH37 lead to the formation of proteasomal foci in cells and that these foci are rich in polyubiquitinated species, presumably due to the lack of debranching by UCH37. Overall, this excellent study adds to our understanding of UCH37 function, especially with regard to the newly observed phenomenon of reversible proteasome aggregation in cells. Readers will benefit from the large array of ubiquitin-centric tools that are described to study key aspects of UCH37 function and from knowledge of the specific role of UCH37.

     (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. Placental uptake and metabolism of 25(OH)vitamin D determine its activity within the fetoplacental unit

   This article has 27 authors:

   1. Brogan Ashley
   2. Claire Simner
   3. Antigoni Manousopoulou
   4. Carl Jenkinson
   5. Felicity Hey
   6. Jennifer M Frost
   7. Faisal I Rezwan
   8. Cory H White
   9. Emma M Lofthouse
   10. Emily Hyde
   11. Laura DF Cooke
   12. Sheila Barton
   13. Pamela Mahon
   14. Elizabeth M Curtis
   15. Rebecca J Moon
   16. Sarah R Crozier
   17. Hazel M Inskip
   18. Keith M Godfrey
   19. John W Holloway
   20. Cyrus Cooper
   21. Kerry S Jones
   22. Rohan M Lewis
   23. Martin Hewison
   24. Spiros DD Garbis
   25. Miguel R Branco
   26. Nicholas C Harvey
   27. Jane K Cleal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript uses primary placental units and villous explants to examine the placental metabolism of vitamin D and effects of vitamin D on placental gene expression. The studies demonstrate that the placenta actively transports 25D, such that the fetal levels are dependent on placental function rather than simple diffusion from the maternal circulation. Furthermore, they demonstrate actions of vitamin D on placental gene expression. This paper should be of interest to cell biologists and obstetricians/gynaecologists studying the role of the placenta in fetal growth and development.

     (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

6. Working memory capacity of crows and monkeys arises from similar neuronal computations

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Lukas Alexander Hahn
   2. Dmitry Balakhonov
   3. Erica Fongaro
   4. Andreas Nieder
   5. Jonas Rose

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     In this study, Hahn et al. taught crows to perform a working memory task designed to mimic traditional monkey tasks. Using a combination of behavior and electrophysiology, the authors convincingly show that the neural mechanisms that limit working memory capacity in mammals and primates also limit working memory capacity in crows. What makes this finding particularly interesting is that the architecture of the avian brain is dramatically different than the architecture of the primate brain. Thus, two dramatically different architectures give rise to the same behavioral functions and neural computations. Such cross-species comparisons are fundamental to understanding the computational constraints that are placed on cognition and the brain.

     (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

7. Aging is associated with increased brain iron through cortex-derived hepcidin expression

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Tatsuya Sato
   2. Jason Solomon Shapiro
   3. Hsiang-Chun Chang
   4. Richard A Miller
   5. Hossein Ardehali

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Accumulation of redox-active iron in the brain is a significant cause of neurotoxicity in neurodegenerative diseases of old age. Thus, this manuscript could be of interest to neuroscientists, iron biologists, and those studying mechanisms of aging as it provides some new mechanistic insight on the role of age-related increases in hepcidin in brain iron accumulation. The current study demonstrates increased cytosolic and mitochondrial non-heme iron only in the aging brain, increased local hepcidin expression, and decreased levels of FPN1, together supporting a hypothesis that local brain hepcidin sequesters iron in neuronal cells and is associated with aging.

     (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

8. An epithelial signalling centre in sharks supports homology of tooth morphogenesis in vertebrates

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Alexandre P Thiery
   2. Ariane SI Standing
   3. Rory L Cooper
   4. Gareth J Fraser

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Thiery et al. propose that the development of shark teeth employ a similar embryonic signaling center as the development of mammalian teeth. The implication is that the regulatory logic of tooth development is an ancient, shared feature among vertebrates. The research will be of interest to the developmental as well as evolutionary biology readers.

     (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

9. A kinetic error filtering mechanism for enzyme-free copying of nucleic acid sequences

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Tobias Göppel
   2. Benedikt Obermayer
   3. Irene A. Chen
   4. Ulrich Gerland

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     How was it possible for prebiotic RNA or DNA molecules to reliably self-replicate, in the absence of sophisticated enzymes capable of error correction? This paper proposes a novel mechanism for error correction in templated copying, and is therefore of interest for cell and evolutionary biologists, biophysicists and readers in the field of origin-of-life science. The kinetic error filtering proposed here does not require sophisticated machinery but reduces errors significantly while retaining a reasonable yield rate. Crucial to this mechanism is a cyclically varying environment, such as might exist in hydrothermal vents. The plausibility of the mechanism is supported by thoughtful and rigourous calculations rooted in an experimentally-grounded model.

     (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

10. Intracerebral mechanisms explaining the impact of incidental feedback on mood state and risky choice

    This article has 14 authors:

    1. Romane Cecchi
    2. Fabien Vinckier
    3. Jiri Hammer
    4. Petr Marusic
    5. Anca Nica
    6. Sylvain Rheims
    7. Agnès Trebuchon
    8. Emmanuel J Barbeau
    9. Marie Denuelle
    10. Louis Maillard
    11. Lorella Minotti
    12. Philippe Kahane
    13. Mathias Pessiglione
    14. Julien Bastin

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This study uses intracranial EEG to explore links between broad-band gamma oscillations and mood, and their impact on decisions. While the results are potentially interesting, additional details and analyses are necessary to show that results are not driven by confounds. In addition, there is about a major concern that statistics are performed across electrodes instead of across subjects.

      (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