eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Combination of inflammatory and vascular markers in the febrile phase of dengue is associated with more severe outcomes

   This article has 21 authors:

   1. Nguyen Lam Vuong
   2. Phung Khanh Lam
   3. Damien Keng Yen Ming
   4. Huynh Thi Le Duyen
   5. Nguyet Minh Nguyen
   6. Dong Thi Hoai Tam
   7. Kien Duong Thi Hue
   8. Nguyen VV Chau
   9. Ngoun Chanpheaktra
   10. Lucy Chai See Lum
   11. Ernesto Pleités
   12. Cameron P Simmons
   13. Kerstin D Rosenberger
   14. Thomas Jaenisch
   15. David Bell
   16. Nathalie Acestor
   17. Christine Halleux
   18. Piero L Olliaro
   19. Bridget A Wills
   20. Ronald B Geskus
   21. Sophie Yacoub

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Protective mitochondrial fission induced by stress-responsive protein GJA1-20k

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Daisuke Shimura
   2. Esther Nuebel
   3. Rachel Baum
   4. Steven E Valdez
   5. Shaohua Xiao
   6. Junco S Warren
   7. Joseph A Palatinus
   8. TingTing Hong
   9. Jared Rutter
   10. Robin M Shaw

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This study identifies a cardioprotective factor, GJA1-20k (a truncated form of Cx43), which appears to confer protection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury via promotion of mitochondrial fission. This finding is particularly interesting given that hyperfission is generally thought of as an index of toxicity in I/R or hypoxic injury. I/R lesion size in a GJA1 heterozygous mutant mouse is strikingly exacerbated compared to control animals, providing strong in vivo evidence supporting a role for this factor in protection from I/R. However, while the findings are interesting and novel, key results require additional experimental support, including to address the lack of key control data, and a significant revision will be necessary to address these issues.

     (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

3. Computational modeling of cambium activity provides a regulatory framework for simulating radial plant growth

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Ivan Lebovka
   2. Bruno Hay Mele
   3. Xiaomin Liu
   4. Alexandra Zakieva
   5. Theresa Schlamp
   6. Nial Rau Gursanscky
   7. Roeland MH Merks
   8. Ruth Großeholz
   9. Thomas Greb

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The paper presents a sequence of models, simulating with increasing accuracy the production of phloem and xylem in a cross-section of a generalized circularly symmetric plant organ. The results may serve as a stepping stone for the construction of predictive models.

     (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. A state space modeling approach to real-time phase estimation

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Anirudh Wodeyar
   2. Mark Schatza
   3. Alik S Widge
   4. Uri T Eden
   5. Mark A Kramer

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Rhythmic activities play an important role in cognition and disease, and there is an increasing interest in real-time phase tracking for closed-loop applications. In this manuscript, a novel approach based on state-space modeling to estimate the phase of EEG and LFP signals in real-time is presented. Open code for distribution is readily available. The proposed model is novel, timely and makes a clear contribution to the methods base in 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 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Fine-tuning of β-catenin in mouse thymic epithelial cells is required for postnatal T-cell development

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Sayumi Fujimori
   2. Izumi Ohigashi
   3. Hayato Abe
   4. Yosuke Matsushita
   5. Toyomasa Katagiri
   6. Makoto M Taketo
   7. Yousuke Takahama
   8. Shinji Takada

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper is of interest to scientists within the field of thymus development and function. Analysis of the data is overall rigorous and conclusions are justified. The work presented builds upon previous studies that have shown that alterations of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in thymic epithelial cells impact the normal development and or maintenance of thymic epithelial microenvironment critical for the proper development and selection of functional self-tolerant T cell repertoire. The surprise that a thymus epithelial cell specific loss of function of beta-catenin only showed a rather minor phenotype is interesting, but it would be good to also address whether TEC recovery after a challenge, or in aging, is also affected in a minor manner or perhaps more dramatically than the steady-state situation. The author's claims are well supported by the data presented and will be of great interest to scientists and clinicians interested in understanding the signaling pathways important in thymic maintenance, as well as the development of strategies to counteract thymic involution in the aging population and cancer patients.

     (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

6. Coding of chromatic spatial contrast by macaque V1 neurons

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Abhishek De
   2. Gregory D Horwitz

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This paper is of broad interest to psychologists, neuroscientists, and engineers who seek to understand how color information is represented in visual cortex. The experiments provide sharply focussed tests of how chromatic information is compared across different spatial locations by individual neurons in visual cortex. The experiments are sound and the results speak to fundamental principles of encoding.

     (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

7. Modeling the impact of racial and ethnic disparities on COVID-19 epidemic dynamics

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Kevin C Ma
   2. Tigist F Menkir
   3. Stephen Kissler
   4. Yonatan H Grad
   5. Marc Lipsitch

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This excellent paper by Ma and colleagues assesses the role of assortative mixing in regards to racial and ethnic disparities to estimate herd immunity thresholds (HIT) for SARS-CoV-2. The paper is conceptual in nature and builds on similar models which have been particularly useful to understand the dynamics of sexually transmitted diseases. The model is explained well and the paper is clearly written. The conclusions are justified by the analysis. One limitation is that the model is trained against a single cross-sectional seroprevalence estimate (one in NYC & one in Long Island) which allows for multiple models (ranging from homogeneous mixing to proportionate mixing) to recapitulate the data and in turn does not allow general estimates of HIT for these regions. It is also unclear if a more realistic epidemic simulation that included repeated waves of infection &/or vaccine roll out would change the conclusions regarding HIT according to race and ethnicity.

     (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

8. Permeant fluorescent probes visualize the activation of SARM1 and uncover an anti-neurodegenerative drug candidate

   This article has 15 authors:

   1. Wan Hua Li
   2. Ke Huang
   3. Yang Cai
   4. Qian Wen Wang
   5. Wen Jie Zhu
   6. Yun Nan Hou
   7. Sujing Wang
   8. Sheng Cao
   9. Zhi Ying Zhao
   10. Xu Jie Xie
   11. Yang Du
   12. Chi-Sing Lee
   13. Hon Cheung Lee
   14. Hongmin Zhang
   15. Yong Juan Zhao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     SARM1, an enzyme that can convert NAD+ to ADP-ribose or cyclic ADP-ribose, is implicated in axon degeneration. This manuscript describes the development of small molecule probes that can detect the activity of SARM1 in live cells. In the course of the work, a small molecule derived from an hypertension drug was discovered as an effective SARM1 inhibitor. Although the activity probes are novel, the mechanism of SARM1 inactivation by dHNN has not been established. The probe and the inhibitor described in the manuscript could lead to future therapeutic development targeting SARM1 to treat axon degeneration.

     (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. The molecular basis of coupling between poly(A)-tail length and translational efficiency

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Kehui Xiang
   2. David P Bartel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript addresses a long-standing question, namely how does the poly(A) tail influence translational efficiency? It will therefore be of broad interest to readers from many areas of molecular biology including those interested in translation, mRNA stability, development and gene expression in general. The authors convincingly set out three criteria that must be met for coupling of poly(A) tail length with translation.

     (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

10. Design principles of the ESCRT-III Vps24-Vps2 module

    This article has 4 authors:

    1. Sudeep Banjade
    2. Yousuf H Shah
    3. Shaogeng Tang
    4. Scott D Emr

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      Different ESCRT-III subunits share sequence similarity but have been characterized in distinct conformations and perform distinct roles in the polymerization process that is central to ESCRT membrane fission pathways. Here it is shown that mutations in one ESCRT-III subunit can compensate for loss of a different subunit by encoding the specialized roles of both subunits within one polypeptide. These findings will be of interest to investigators studying ESCRT pathway mechanisms and those more generally interested in the adaptability of protein sequences and functions.

      (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