eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Domain coupling in allosteric regulation of SthK measured using time-resolved transition metal ion FRET

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Pierce Eggan
   2. Sharona E Gordon
   3. William N Zagotta

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study employs transition-metal FRET (tmFRET) and time-correlated single-photon counting to investigate allosteric conformational changes in both isolated cyclic nucleotide-binding domains (CNBDs) and full-length bacterial CNG channels, demonstrating that transmembrane domains stabilize CNBDs in their active state. By comparing isolated CNBD constructs with full-length channels, the authors reveal how allosteric networks couple domain movements to gating energetics, providing insights into ion channel regulation mechanisms. The rigorous methodology and compelling quantitative analysis establish a framework for applying tmFRET to study conformational dynamics in diverse protein systems.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Identification and classification of ion-channels across the tree of life provide functional insights into understudied CALHM channels

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Rahil Taujale
   2. Sung Jin Park
   3. Nathan Gravel
   4. Saber Soleymani
   5. Rayna Carter
   6. Kennady Boyd
   7. Sarah Keuning
   8. Zheng Ruan
   9. Wei Lü
   10. Natarajan Kannan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this manuscript Taujale et al describe an interdisciplinary approach to mine the human channelome and further discover orthologues across diverse organisms. Further, this work provides evidence that supports a role for conserved residues in CALHM channel gating. Overall this important work presents findings that can be helpful to the ion channel community, as well as to those interested in improved methods for mining sequence space for their protein of interest. However, further validation of the improvements their approach shows over previous approaches is needed, making this a solid contribution to the literature in this field.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Spiral-eyes: A soft active matter model of in vivo corneal epithelial cell migration

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Kaja Kostanjevec
   2. Rastko Sknepnek
   3. Jon Martin Collinson
   4. Silke Henkes

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study describes a physical mechanism for the emergence of spiral patterns in the outer epithelial layer of the mammalian cornea independent of pre-patterning or guidance cues, using an agent-based model of self-propelled particles with alignment. The model is well constructed, however the central premise of the manuscript, that the spiral patterning of epithelial corneal cells occurs without guidance cues, is incomplete and not fully supported. Several significant questions remain unanswered, such as the role of the corneal curvature or the importance of topological defects. Furthermore, comparison between the model and data are qualitative at best for the moment.

   Reviewed by eLife, preLights

4. A tissue boundary orchestrates the segregation of inner ear sensory organs

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Ziqi Chen
   2. Magdalena Żak
   3. Shuting Xu
   4. Javier de Andrés
   5. Nicolas Daudet

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important study describing the morphological changes during boundary formation between sensory and non-sensory tissues of the inner ear. The authors provided solid evidence that a transcription factor, Lmx1a and ROCK-dependent actinomyosin are key for border formation in the inner ear. However, future studies will be needed to investigate the direct relationships among boundary formation, Lmx1a and ROCK. This work will be of interest to developmental biologists interested in boundary formation.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Shifting the PPARγ conformational ensemble toward a transcriptionally repressive state improves covalent inhibitor efficacy

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Liudmyla Arifova
   2. Brian S MacTavish
   3. Zane Laughlin
   4. Mithun Nag Karadi Girdhar
   5. Jinsai Shang
   6. Min-Hsuan Li
   7. Xiaoyu Yu
   8. Di Zhu
   9. Theodore M Kamenecka
   10. Douglas J Kojetin

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript presents a fundamental advance in our understanding of nuclear receptor pharmacology by expanding on previous work demonstrating dual ligand occupancy in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ). Using a compelling combination of biophysical, biochemical, and cellular approaches, the authors show that covalent inverse agonists with enhanced efficacy shift the receptor conformation toward a transcriptionally repressive state that limits orthosteric ligand co-binding more effectively. This revised manuscript further strengthens support for a proximal, bidirectional allosteric model of dual ligand occupancy by sharpening the distinction between prior and new findings, adding clear conceptual figures, and strengthening statistical rigor.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Human giant GTPase GVIN1 forms an antimicrobial coatomer around the intracellular bacterial pathogen Burkholderia thailandensis

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Weilun Guo
   2. Shruti S Apte
   3. Mary S Dickinson
   4. So Young Kim
   5. Miriam Kutsch
   6. Jörn Coers

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a fundamental discovery revealing two independent IFNγ-induced pathways that restrict bacterial motility: one GBP1-dependent and the other GVIN1-dependent. The findings are supported by compelling evidence. While the paper is already very strong, there are a few points that could be addressed editorially or through the addition of a few key experiments.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Protein language model identifies disordered, conserved motifs implicated in phase separation

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Yumeng Zhang
   2. Jared Zheng
   3. Bin Zhang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents an analysis of evolutionary conservation in intrinsically disordered regions, identified as key drivers of phase separation, leveraging a protein language model. The strength of evidence presented is convincing overall, though the theoretical grounding could benefit from further development.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Repression of the Wnt pathway effector TCF7L2 reverses lethal cachexia in mice with intestinal cancers

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Mei Ling Leong
   2. Christiane Ruedl
   3. Klaus Karjalainen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this valuable study, the authors demonstrate that TCF7L2 plays a role in the pathogenesis of cachexia in a mouse model of GI cancer. The results are solid, although future studies will need further mechanistic analyses. These data will be interesting to cancer biologists, especially those trying to understand late-stage complications such as cachexia and wasting, a major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Monocyte-derived macrophage recruitment mediated by TRPV1 is required for eardrum wound healing

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Yunpei Zhang
   2. Pingting Wang
   3. Lingling Neng
   4. Kushal Sharma
   5. Allan Kachelmeier
   6. Xiaorui Shi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study exploring the role of TRPV1 signaling in recruiting macrophages and promoting angiogenesis during tympanic membrane wound healing presents useful findings. However, the strength of evidence supporting the central claims is incomplete, as the mechanistic links between TRPV1 activation and immune cell recruitment remain largely correlative and rely heavily on previously published datasets without sufficient functional validation. The work will be of interest to researchers studying wound healing and sensory-immune interactions, though substantial revisions are needed to support its broader significance.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Mixed evidence for the rhythmicity of auditory perceptual judgements in humans

    This article has 2 authors:

    1. Cécile Fabio
    2. Christoph Kayser

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This high-N, multi-task study offers a comprehensive examination of rhythmicity in behavioral performance during listening. It presents a valuable set of findings that reveal task- and ear-specific effects, challenging the notion of a universal rhythmicity in auditory perception. The evidence is solid and the work is likely to be of significant interest to behavioral and cognitive scientists focused on perception and neural oscillations.

    Reviewed by eLife