eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. A PX-BAR protein Mvp1/SNX8 and a dynamin-like GTPase Vps1 drive endosomal recycling

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Sho W Suzuki
   2. Akihiko Oishi
   3. Nadia Nikulin
   4. Jeff R Jorgensen
   5. Matthew G Baile
   6. Scott D Emr

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper will be of broad interest to the vesicle trafficking field, as it defines how an evolutionarily conserved SNX-BAR protein (Mvp1) sorts cargo proteins into membrane tubules emanating from the endosome and recruits a dynamin-like "pinchase" to release the tubule so cargo can move to the Golgi complex.

     (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 names with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Transcriptomics-informed large-scale cortical model captures topography of pharmacological neuroimaging effects of LSD

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Joshua B Burt
   2. Katrin H Preller
   3. Murat Demirtas
   4. Jie Lisa Ji
   5. John H Krystal
   6. Franz X Vollenweider
   7. Alan Anticevic
   8. John D Murray

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper will be of interest to scientists working on computational modelling of neuroimaging data, and on the neural effects of psychedelic drugs and other pharmacological interventions. The study is well-motivated. The statistical and data analytic methodologies are rigorous and advanced. The with conclusions are well-supported by the presented data. The modelling methodology includes technical innovations that are potentially of broad utility and importance.

     (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. Improving statistical power in severe malaria genetic association studies by augmenting phenotypic precision

   This article has 21 authors:

   1. James A Watson
   2. Carolyne M Ndila
   3. Sophie Uyoga
   4. Alexander Macharia
   5. Gideon Nyutu
   6. Shebe Mohammed
   7. Caroline Ngetsa
   8. Neema Mturi
   9. Norbert Peshu
   10. Benjamin Tsofa
   11. Kirk Rockett
   12. Stije Leopold
   13. Hugh Kingston
   14. Elizabeth C George
   15. Kathryn Maitland
   16. Nicholas PJ Day
   17. Arjen M Dondorp
   18. Philip Bejon
   19. Thomas N Williams
   20. Chris C Holmes
   21. Nicholas J White

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The fundamental premise of genome wide association studies for severe malaria is to take a population with confirmed severe malaria and compare with a control group who do not have severe malaria. This paper presents a novel and valuable method for improving power for severe malaria genetic association studies. The method would also be useful for studies of other disease where there is a clinical definition that sometimes includes people who do not truly have the disease.

     (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

4. Rapid mechanical stimulation of inner-ear hair cells by photonic pressure

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Sanjeewa Abeytunge
   2. Francesco Gianoli
   3. AJ Hudspeth
   4. Andrei S Kozlov

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The manuscript addresses the long-standing problem of engineering an in vitro stimulation method for individual inner ear sensory hair bundles that adequately provides a uniform and rapid stimulus characteristic of native inner ear stimulation. The authors address this unmet need with development and characterization of a light-based stimulus to generate rapid photonic force capable of deflecting a range of hair bundle geometries, including amphibian and mammalian vestibular and auditory hair bundles. The manuscript conveys a message that will be of use for the wide community of researchers working on mechanosensory integration and more broadly for engineers and scientists interested in using light to generate force. The study is extremely elegant, well written with beautiful illustrations. This work will be without a doubt a great addition to the field.

     (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 names with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Epi-mutations for spermatogenic defects by maternal exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Yukiko Tando
   2. Hitoshi Hiura
   3. Asuka Takehara
   4. Yumi Ito-Matsuoka
   5. Takahiro Arima
   6. Yasuhisa Matsui

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Maternal exposure to a certain phthalate (DEHP) has been shown to cause spermatogenesis defects in the male progeny, and in their offspring. In their paper, Tando et al have investigated the molecular consequences of this maternal exposure on fetal and adult male germ cells by studying DNA methylation and gene expression by large-scale approaches. They found three genes previously known to be involved in spermatogenesis that are deregulated following maternal exposure to DEHP and which could contribute to the observed spermatogenesis defects.

     (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. The cryptic gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal system of human basal ganglia

   This article has 21 authors:

   1. Katalin Skrapits
   2. Miklós Sárvári
   3. Imre Farkas
   4. Balázs Göcz
   5. Szabolcs Takács
   6. Éva Rumpler
   7. Viktória Váczi
   8. Csaba Vastagh
   9. Gergely Rácz
   10. András Matolcsy
   11. Norbert Solymosi
   12. Szilárd Póliska
   13. Blanka Tóth
   14. Ferenc Erdélyi
   15. Gábor Szabó
   16. Michael D Culler
   17. Cecile Allet
   18. Ludovica Cotellessa
   19. Vincent Prévot
   20. Paolo Giacobini
   21. Erik Hrabovszky

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This multifaceted study focuses on neurons in the brain that produce a small peptide molecule known as GnRH, which is central to reproduction in its role as the releasing hormone for gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary. The findings will be of interest to scientists interested in the role of neuropeptides in determining normal brain function and the onset of neurodegenerative disorders. The authors provide a detailed anatomical and molecular characterization of a large, previously unnoticed population of GnRH neurons, located in basal ganglia (mainly putamen) in humans, which diverge from the population of GnRH neurons regulating the pituitary, in number (much larger), morphology and, possibly, origin (not from olfactory placode). Moreover, the study rekindles the idea that GnRH producing neurons in other regions of the brain outside the hypothalamus may be involved in neural processes unrelated to reproduction such as locomotion and decision making.

     (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. Locating macromolecular assemblies in cells by 2D template matching with cisTEM

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Bronwyn A Lucas
   2. Benjamin A Himes
   3. Liang Xue
   4. Timothy Grant
   5. Julia Mahamid
   6. Nikolaus Grigorieff

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Lucas, Himes et al. present multiple practical improvements to the 2D high-resolution template-matching (2DTM) routine for cryo-EM images originally described by Rickgauer et al., eLife 2017. GPU-acceleration and integration into cisTEM make the approach substantially faster and easier to use than the previous CPU-based Matlab implementation. The strengths and weaknesses of the 2DTM are clearly presented and the comparison with 3DTM is thorough. At present the 2DTM approach is likely only suitable for analysis of large assemblies (e.g., ribosomes, proteasomes,etc.) in situ, but future improvements in microscope hardware and the 2DTM routine itself will likely allow application of this approach to smaller complexes.

     (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

8. Fine-tuned repression of Drp1-driven mitochondrial fission primes a ‘stem/progenitor-like state’ to support neoplastic transformation

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Brian Spurlock
   2. Danitra Parker
   3. Malay Kumar Basu
   4. Anita Hjelmeland
   5. Sajina GC
   6. Shanrun Liu
   7. Gene P Siegal
   8. Alan Gunter
   9. Aida Moran
   10. Kasturi Mitra

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper is of interest for cell biologists studying mitochondrial fission as well as stem cell biologists studying neoplastic transformation. The work helps to clarify how variable levels of the master regulator of mitochondrial fission can have substantially different effects on gene regulation and mitochondrial network properties. A combination of complementary methods is used to support the key findings although aspects of data analysis and quantification could be improved.

     (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. Tracking excess mortality across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic with the World Mortality Dataset

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Ariel Karlinsky
   2. Dmitry Kobak

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This is an important and timely manuscript looking at excess mortality across 89 countries and territories over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This manuscript will be of interest to demographers and epidemiologists, and also more broadly to the public health community.

     (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, ScreenIT

10. The photosensitive phase acts as a sensitive window for seasonal multisensory neuroplasticity in male and female starlings

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Jasmien Orije
    2. Emilie Cardon
    3. Julie Hamaide
    4. Elisabeth Jonckers
    5. Veerle M. Darras
    6. Marleen Verhoye
    7. Annemie Van der Linden

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This paper will be of interest to a diverse range of scientist as the questions span animal behavior, neuroscience and sex differences in brain-behavior relations. The study used non-invasive brain imaging to track large changes in structures involved in controlling communication between brain regions. The data reveal exciting sex-specific changes in key brain regions involved in learning and memory. The study is well designed, and the key claims of the manuscript appear to be well supported by the data. The imaging approaches employed are thoughtful and rigorous.

      (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