eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Neural mechanisms of modulations of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others’ pain

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Taoyu Wu
   2. Shihui Han

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This article represents a series of behavioral and imaging experiments investigating the effect of cognitive manipulation of beliefs on the explicit perception of other individual's pain and altruistic behavior. The results indicate that manipulations of people's beliefs regarding how much another person suffers alters the way participants rate the pain of others as well as the amount of money participants are willing to donate to the other person. Neuroimaging experiments, using EEG and fMRI, show that manipulating beliefs modulates neural activity in an early time window (P2 component) in response to the emotional expression of the other individual, involving temporo-parietal and medial frontal cortices. While there are some potential concerns about the novelty and implication of these findings, the results are overall clear and consistent throughout the six experiments, integrate with existing data, and are of broad interest to the researchers studying the neurobiology of empathy.

     (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

2. Effects of common mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD and its ligand, the human ACE2 receptor on binding affinity and kinetics

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Michael I Barton
   2. Stuart A MacGowan
   3. Mikhail A Kutuzov
   4. Omer Dushek
   5. Geoffrey John Barton
   6. P Anton van der Merwe

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This manuscript is of interest to virologists working on SARS-CoV-2, as well as biochemists and biophysicists who perform binding experiments with surface plasmon resonance (SPR), as it provides detailed affinity and kinetics analysis of the effect of mutations in variants of concern in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain with receptor ACE2 and two 'common' mutations in ACE2.

     (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, ScreenIT

3. Regulation of pulmonary surfactant by the adhesion GPCR GPR116/ADGRF5 requires a tethered agonist-mediated activation mechanism

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. James P Bridges
   2. Caterina Safina
   3. Bernard Pirard
   4. Kari Brown
   5. Alyssa Filuta
   6. Ravichandran Panchanathan
   7. Rochdi Bouhelal
   8. Nicole Reymann
   9. Sejal Patel
   10. Klaus Seuwen
   11. William E Miller
   12. Marie-Gabrielle Ludwig

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Bridges et al., present a timely study on an adhesion G-protein coupled receptor known as GPR1116, which is an important regulator of lung function. The authors performed extensive mutagenesis and functional studies to characterize the structural determinants controlling GPR116 activity. With some additional controls, the conclusions of this study would have far-reaching implications for the development of pharmacological approaches aimed at modulating the activity of this important biological target involved in the maintenance of normal pulmonary 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

4. Disrupted PGR-B and ESR1 signaling underlies defective decidualization linked to severe preeclampsia

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Tamara Garrido-Gomez
   2. Nerea Castillo-Marco
   3. Mónica Clemente-Ciscar
   4. Teresa Cordero
   5. Irene Muñoz-Blat
   6. Alicia Amadoz
   7. Jorge Jimenez-Almazan
   8. Rogelio Monfort-Ortiz
   9. Reyes Climent
   10. Alfredo Perales-Marin
   11. Carlos Simon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     Garrido-Gomez et al generate a unique dataset profiling the transcriptomes late-stage endometrium of women with prior pregnancies leading to severe preeclampsia (sPE) compared to that of non-preeclamptic pregnancies. Although the question of molecular drivers preeclampsia has been explored at the molecular level directly in the placenta, this study provides a unique view in the endometrium of women years after the pregnancy in question, which is consistent with the fact that a previous preeclamptic pregnancy is one of the best predictors for a subsequent preeclamptic pregnancy.

     (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. Intrinsic mechanisms in the gating of resurgent Na+ currents

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Joseph L Ransdell
   2. Jonathan D Moreno
   3. Druv Bhagavan
   4. Jonathan R Silva
   5. Jeanne M Nerbonne

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     After more than 20 years of intensive research the molecular machinery of Resurgent Currents (INaR), a non-canonical identity of currents mediated by voltage-activated sodium channels is still a mystery. In this paper, Ransdell and colleagues advance the conceptual framework with new experimental insight and a new kinetic model of INaR.

     (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

6. Transcriptomic and genetic analyses identify the Krüppel-like factor dar1 as a master regulator of tube-shaped long tendon development

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Laurichesse Quentin
   2. Moucaud Blandine
   3. Jagla Krzysztof
   4. Soler Cédric

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The paper is of interest for those studying tendon development. Starting from a transcriptomic analysis of Drosophila leg tendon cells it identifies a transcription factor, Dar1, required for normal tendon morphogenesis.

     (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

7. HspB8 prevents aberrant phase transitions of FUS by chaperoning its folded RNA-binding domain

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. Edgar E Boczek
   2. Julius Fürsch
   3. Marie Laura Niedermeier
   4. Louise Jawerth
   5. Marcus Jahnel
   6. Martine Ruer-Gruß
   7. Kai-Michael Kammer
   8. Peter Heid
   9. Laura Mediani
   10. Jie Wang
   11. Xiao Yan
   12. Andrej Pozniakovski
   13. Ina Poser
   14. Daniel Mateju
   15. Lars Hubatsch
   16. Serena Carra
   17. Simon Alberti
   18. Anthony A Hyman
   19. Florian Stengel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This work traces at the protein domain level the associations made within droplets containing RNA-binding protein FUS and how they change as a function of time (and maturity), in the presence and absence of the small heat-shock protein HSPB8, by chemical cross-linking coupled to mass spectrometry. This work is an important step forward in our general understanding of the macromolecular interactions within liquid-liquid phase-separated protein droplets, and how they are regulated by small heat-shock protein molecular chaperones.

     (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, #2, and #3 agreed to shares their name with the authors.)

   Reviewed by eLife

8. TMEM120A contains a specific coenzyme A-binding site and might not mediate poking- or stretch-induced channel activities in cells

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Yao Rong
   2. Jinghui Jiang
   3. Yiwei Gao
   4. Jianli Guo
   5. Danfeng Song
   6. Wenhao Liu
   7. Mingmin Zhang
   8. Yan Zhao
   9. Bailong Xiao
   10. Zhenfeng Liu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     The paper describes novel structures of a protein recently reported to function as a mechanosensitive ion channel. Surprisingly, the structures and functional data rather support the formerly suggested role of this protein in lipid metabolism. The paper is of relevance for ion channel field and for those interested in fatty acid metabolism.

     (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. Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Amy Morris-Drake
   2. Julie M Kern
   3. Andrew N Radford

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     Evaluation Summary:

     This article will be of interest to behavioural ecologists studying aggression, within-group conflict, communication, and the use of social information. The study elegantly combines well-designed experiments with field observations to investigate the effects of within-group conflict on social behaviour. Specifically, it expands our understanding of social dynamics in group-living species by providing evidence that bystanders of within-group conflict may play a role in maintaining group cohesion. The findings provide a valuable contribution, and contrast, to existing work in this 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

10. Pseudohypoxic HIF pathway activation dysregulates collagen structure-function in human lung fibrosis

    This article has 29 authors:

    1. Christopher J Brereton
    2. Liudi Yao
    3. Elizabeth R Davies
    4. Yilu Zhou
    5. Milica Vukmirovic
    6. Joseph A Bell
    7. Siyuan Wang
    8. Robert A Ridley
    9. Lareb SN Dean
    10. Orestis G Andriotis
    11. Franco Conforti
    12. Lennart Brewitz
    13. Soran Mohammed
    14. Timothy Wallis
    15. Ali Tavassoli
    16. Rob M Ewing
    17. Aiman Alzetani
    18. Benjamin G Marshall
    19. Sophie V Fletcher
    20. Philipp J Thurner
    21. Aurelie Fabre
    22. Naftali Kaminski
    23. Luca Richeldi
    24. Atul Bhaskar
    25. Christopher J Schofield
    26. Matthew Loxham
    27. Donna E Davies
    28. Yihua Wang
    29. Mark G Jones

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      Evaluation Summary:

      This study builds upon the previous original work of the authors by identifying a pathway that regulates collagen nanostructure and stiffness in lung fibrosis and demonstrating that this pathway it is independent of pathways regulating collagen synthesis. The analysis performed to validate the specificity of experimental findings and the demonstration that HIF activation is required for the increased tissue stiffness associated with fibrosis are elegant and convincing. With some additional clarifications and controls, this manuscript will be of broad interest to researchers interested in lung biology and especially to those focused on the pathogenesis and therapy of lung fibrosis.

      (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