Evaluated articles

eLife assessment

This study provides valuable new insights into insect cognition and problem-solving in bumblebees. The authors present convincing evidence that bumblebees lack causal understanding in a string-pulling task, and find support for bumblebees instead using image-matching for this task.

eLife assessment

In this study, the authors found that a species of aphid that is a known agricultural pest salivated longer and produced more honeydew when feeding at night. The authors identified aphid genes with diurnal expression patterns, including potential saliva-related genes. Silencing these genes reduced aphid performance only on real plants, suggesting a specific role in plant feeding. While this study is valuable for understanding plant-insect interactions in agriculture, it is currently incomplete, as further research is needed to elucidate the function of the identified genes.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study proposes that protein secreted by colon cancer cells induces cells with Paneth-like properties that favor colon cancer metastasis. The evidence supporting the conclusions is strong but would benefit from more direct experiments to test the functional role of Paneth-like cells and to monitor metastasis from colon tumors. The work will be of interest to researchers studying colon cancer metastasis.

eLife Assessment

This study provides a valuable new resource to investigate the molecular basis of the particular features characterizing the pipefish embryo. The authors found both unique and shared gene expression patterns in pipefish organs compared with other teleost fishes. The solid data collected in this unconventional model organism will give new insights into understanding the extraordinary adaptations of the Syngnathidae family and will be of interest in the domain of evolution of fish development.

eLife Assessment

This important study reports a novel function of ATG14 in preventing pyroptosis and inflammation in oviduct cells, thus allowing smooth transport of the early embryo to the uterus and implantation. The data supporting the main conclusion are convincing. This work will be of interest to reproductive biologists and physicians practicing reproductive medicine.

eLife Assessment

This important study offers convincing evidence that intra-Golgi transport slows from cis to trans and varies between cargos even within the same cisternae, supporting a more stable compartment model. Using nocodazole-induced ministacks, the authors show cargo-specific transport kinetics with distinct velocities and residence times. These findings refine the cisternal progression model and prompt further investigation into alternative mechanisms, such as rapid partitioning or rim progression. This study will be of interest to cell biologists studying membrane trafficking, Golgi organization, and protein secretion, as well as researchers investigating the mechanisms of organelle dynamics and the molecular basis of intracellular transport.

eLife assessment

The authors show that short bouts of chemical ischemia lead to presynaptic changes in glutamate release and long-term potentiation, whereas longer bouts of chemical ischemia lead to synaptic failure and presumably cell death. This convincing work relies on rigorous electrophysiology/imaging experiments and data analysis. It is important as it provides new mechanistic details on chemical ischemia, which could offer potential insights into ischemic stroke in vivo.

eLife assessment

This study presents an important finding on the relationship between brain activity related to sustained attention and substance use in adolescence/early adulthood with a large longitudinal dataset. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is convincing. The work will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists, psychologists, and clinicians working on substance use or addiction.

eLife assessment

This study presents an important finding on the relationship between brain activity related to sustained attention and substance use in adolescence/early adulthood with a large longitudinal dataset. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is convincing. The work will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists, psychologists, and clinicians working on substance use or addiction.

eLife assessment

The study has identified a cell type in muscle that is characterized as an adipogenic progenitor cell that is capable of promoting regeneration through the action of BDNF, a prominent growth factor regulated by GDNF in Schwann cells. These results represent an important cellular explanation for nerve regeneration. The revised analysis is solid but the work remains incomplete due to a lack of evidence that BDNF is produced during the process through the action of GDNF.

eLife assessment

This important research describes the sensory innervation of oral tumors, with potential implications for understanding cancer-induced alterations in motivation and anhedonia in a mouse model. These findings are solid and are supported by anatomical and transcriptional changes in the tumor that suggest sensory innervation, neural tracing, and neural activity measurements. While nerve innervation of the tumor and associated increase in brain activity is well-supported, future studies could enhance specificity by employing more targeted genetic and pharmacological tools to manipulate these circuits selectively.

eLife assessment

This important work provides interesting datasets of myofiber differentiation. The evidence supporting the involvement of SRF2 in selected biological processes is convincing, however, additional evidence to pin-point the major action of SRF2 during muscle differentiation is appreciated. The work will be of broad interest to developmental biologists in general and molecular biologists in the field of gene regulation.

eLife assessment

This work provides solid evidence that Transforming Growth Factor β Activated Kinase 1 (TAK1) regulates esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tumor proliferation and metastasis. The findings are valuable to the field of molecular tumor biology in general and to the understanding of ESCC tumor invasiveness and metastatic potential.

eLife Assessment

In this useful manuscript, the authors performed scRNA-seq on a diverse cohort of 15 early-stage cervical cancer patients. Correlative data is provided to support the possible establishment of an immunosuppressive microenvironment near SCL26A3+ cells, and an association of these cells with upstaging at time of surgery. However without more extensive validation, the evidence supporting the conclusions remains incomplete. Overall, this paper will provide a potentially helpful dataset for researchers studying cervical cancer.

eLife assessment

This valuable study characterized a new set of small molecules targeting the interaction between ELF3-MED23, with one of the reported compounds representing a promising novel therapeutic strategy, The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing. This article will be of interest to medical and cell biologists working on cancer and, particularly, on HER2-overexpression cancers.

eLife Assessment

This important study employs an optogenetics approach aimed at activating oncogene (KRASG12V) expression in a single somatic cell, with a focus on following the progression of activated cell to examine tumourigenesis probabilities under altered tissue environments. Although the description of the methodologies applied is incomplete, the authors propose a mechanism whereby reactivation of re-programming factors correlates with the increased likelihood of a mutant cell undergoing malignant transformation. This work will be of interest to developmental and cancer biologists, especially in relation to the genetic tools described.

eLife Assessment

This study describes the application of machine learning and Markov state models to characterize the binding mechanism of alpha-Synuclein to the small molecule Fasudil. The results suggest that entropic expansion can explain such binding. However, the simulations and analyses in their present form are inadequate.

eLife assessment

This valuable study establishes a method for live-cell imaging, tracking, and quantification of Alu elements marking euchromatic regions of the nucleus. The method will help characterize the relationship between chromatin dynamics and transcriptional activity. While the findings are largely consistent with previous reports, characterization of the technique is incomplete and could benefit from additional controls.

eLife Assessment

This important chronobiological study in mice suggests that light modulated activity of Cdk5 activity on the PKA-CaMK-CREB signaling pathway provides missing molecular mechanistic details to understand light-induced circadian clock phase delays during the early night, but not for phase advances in the morning. The authors provide convincing evidence bridging from behavioral to molecular/cellular experiments to neural activity imaging.