Evaluated articles

eLife assessment

This study demonstrates that neurons receiving inputs from auditory cortex in the inferior colliculus widely encode the outcome of a sound detection task independant of the presence of auditory cortex. This valuable study based on imaging of transynaptically labelled neurons provides convincing evidence that auditory cortex is necessary neither for sound detection, nor to channel information related to behavioral outcome to the subcortical auditory system. This study will be of wide interest for sensory neuroscientists.

eLife assessment

This manuscript describes a potentially important theoretical framework to link predictive coding, error-based learning, and neuronal dynamics. The provided evidence is solid, but some details would benefit from additional clarification. The exposition of the manuscript is targeted for a specialist audience.

eLife assessment

This fundamental study presents a method to restore muscle innervations in ALS mouse models using optogenetics. It is convincing that embryonic stem cell derived motor neurons can be transplanted into and applied to reinnervate the muscles in an ALS mouse model. The work will be of broad interest to researchers and medical biologists to develop new strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders resulting from denervated skeletal muscles.

eLife assessment

This valuable study examines the evolution of the pillars in the shell architecture of organo-phosphatic brachiopods. The phylogenetic implications of this shell structure in relation to other early Cambrian brachiopod families are interpreted based on solid evidence. As such, this paper with interesting ideas regarding the evolution of brachiopod shell structure contributes to our understanding of the ecology and evolution of brachiopods as a whole.

eLife assessment

This study represents a step towards integrating human and non-human primate research towards a broader understanding of the neural control of motor strategies. It could offer valuable insights into how humans and non-human primates (Rhesus monkeys) manage visuomotor tasks, such as stabilizing an unstable virtual system, potentially leading to discoveries in neural behaviour mechanisms. While the evidence is mostly solid, some results, particularly from the binary classification of control strategies for non instructed behaviour, require further validation before it could be conclusively interpreted.

eLife Assessment

This important study challenges conventional life-history theory by demonstrating that reproductive-survival trade-offs are minimal in birds, except when reproductive effort is experimentally exaggerated. The evidence is solid, drawing from a meta-analysis of over 30 bird species, and effectively separates the effects of individual quality from reproductive costs. The findings will be of broad interest to evolutionary biologists and ecologists studying life-history trade-offs and reproductive strategies.

eLife assessment

This paper represents a valuable single-cell level analysis of tendon enthesis development. It will allow further understanding of this specific process with clinical implications. Specifically, the authors provided convincing evidence for the heterogeneity of postnatal enthesis growth and the molecular dynamics and signaling networks during enthesis formation.

eLife assessment

This paper conducts human and rodent experiments of non-invasive diffusion MRI estimates of axon diameter with the aim to establish whether these estimates provide biologically specific markers of axonal degeneration in MS. It will be of interest to researchers developing quantitative MRI methods and scientists studying neurodegeneration. The experiments provide evidence for the sensitivity of these markers, but do not directly validate axon diameter and do not reflect common pathological mechanisms across rodents and humans.

eLife assessment

The authors make the case that the assembly of MreB from Geobacillus, a Gram-positive organism differs substantially from MreB from the Gram-negative model organism, Escherichia coli. Although the conclusion of this valuable study would represent a major advance if correct, the evidence is currently incomplete, and significant additional work is necessary to ensure both rigor and impact.

eLife assessment

This fundamental study addresses the role of miRNA-218 in circuit development, seizure susceptibility, and behavior. The supporting experimental evidence provided by the authors is solid, although more mechanistic insight into how miRNA-218 controls neuronal cell type function during circuit development to then impact seizures and behavior would have strengthened the study. This work has broad implications for researchers working on the role of neuronal microRNA in neurodevelopmental and neurological diseases.

eLife assessment

The authors use a previously described technology of designing soluble transmembrane-targeting peptides, to interfere with the receptor function of the T cell receptor (TCR), which provides useful insights into the molecular mechanism of T cell activation. The designed PITCR peptide has functional effects, but the evidence for the proposed mechanism is still incomplete. With further data to support the conclusion, results from this study will be of interest to those studying the TCR as well as those seeking to use the TCR or its derivatives in synthetic biology studies and immunotherapy.

eLife assessment

This important research uses complementary CRISPR screening strategies to reveal novel pathways that prevent T cells from killing tumor cells. The evidence presented to support the claims is solid, although some additional assays defining the features of these novel pathways and their clinical relevance are still required. Overall, this work will be of broad interest to immunologists, cancer biologists, and those interested in cell adhesion and cell-cell communication.

eLife assessment

This useful paper examines changes (or lack thereof) in birds' fear response to humans as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. The evidence supporting the primary conclusion is currently inadequate, because the model used does not properly account for many potentially confounding factors that could influence the study's outcomes. If the analytic approach were improved, the findings would be of interest to urban ecologists, behavioral biologists and ecologists, and researchers interested in understanding the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on animals.

eLife assessment

The study presents important findings on the timing and movement of crops in the Near East. The authors provide convincing data supporting a predominant contribution of Roman Agricultural Diffusion to the spread of a number of cultigens in the region. The work will be of interest to those thinking about the timing and movement of the diffusion of agricultural crops post-domestication.

eLife assessment

The present study shows that the expression of some inhibitory receptors (IRGs) on CD8 T cells is increased in people living with HIV (PLWH) and remain elevated even after years of viral suppression by antiretroviral therapy. The authors further report that inhibition of TGIT partially restores the ability of CD8 T cells to produce CD107a but not the other functions. Altogether, the results provide some valuable insights into our understanding of inhibitory receptor expression in the HIV infected individuals but some evidence seems incomplete.

eLife assessment

This is an important study using 3D mapping of neuronal activation throughout the brain after pair-bonding in the monogamous vole, which can be broadly applied to other species and behaviors. The authors provide compelling evidence that there is some synchrony between male and female partners that have formed a pair bond, the strength of which is based on the number of ejaculations received by the female. Same-sex pairs also form a pair bond and were found to have activation in the same brain regions as mixed sex couples. An overall low level of sex differences in the degree and location of brain activation was observed, which was unexpected. This work will be of interest to those interested in social behavior and its neural mechanisms, or brain systems or behavior more broadly.

eLife assessment

This useful study tests the hypothesis that monocytes purified from tuberculosis patients differentiate into dendritic cells with different migratory capacities. The authors conclude that these monocytes are metabolically pre-conditioned to differentiate, with reduced expression of Hif1a and a glycolytically exhaustive phenotype, resulting in low migratory and immunologic potential. Overall, the evidence provided is convincing, advancing the field substantively and providing novel insights.

eLife assessment

This valuable study considers empirical macroecological patterns in microbiome data across multiple taxonomic scales. The work convincingly shows that the Stochastic Logistic Growth model is a more appropriate choice of null model than the neutral theory of biodiversity. The work will be of particular interest to microbial ecologists.