Evaluated articles

eLife Assessment

This study presents a computational-experimental workflow for optimizing RNA aptamers targeting SARS-CoV-2 RBD. While the integrated approach combining docking, molecular dynamics, and experimental validation shows some promise, the useful findings are limited by the extremely weak binding affinities (>100 µM KD) and restriction to a single target system. The evidence is incomplete, with experimental design issues in the antibody competition assays and a lack of specificity testing undermining confidence in the conclusions.

eLife Assessment

This study is a valuable contribution to the evidence base. However, the evidence provided is incomplete as the study results only partially support the study conclusions. Addressing the methodological and reporting issues raised by the peer reviewers and properly aligning the claim made for providing a tool for early warning with the study analysis/results would improve the study quality and usefulness of its findings.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study introduces a non-perturbative pulse-labeling strategy for yeast nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), employing a nanobody-based approach in order to selectively capture Nup84-containing complexes for imaging and biochemical analysis. The data convincingly demonstrate that a short induction period (20 minutes to 1 hour) yields a strong and sustained signal, enabling affinity purification that faithfully recapitulates the endogenous Nup84 interactome. This tool offers a powerful framework for investigating NPC dynamics and associated interactomes through both imaging and biochemical assays.

eLife Assessment

This study reports on the development and characterization of chickens with genetic deficiencies in type I or type III interferon receptors, which is an important contribution to the field of avian immunology. The data reflecting the development of the new interferon-receptor-deficient chickens is compelling. However, the characterization of IFN biology and infection responses in these knockout chickens is somewhat incomplete and could be improved by addressing the noted weaknesses.

eLife Assessment

This important study examines the evolution of virulence and antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus under multiple selection pressures. The evidence presented is convincing, with rigorous data that characterizes the outcomes of the evolution experiments. However, the manuscript's primary weakness is in its presentation, as claims about the causal relationship between genotypes and phenotypes are based on correlational evidence. The manuscript needs to be revised to address these limitations, clarify the implications of the experimental design, and adjust the overall narrative to better reflect the nature of the findings.

eLife Assessment

Non-essential amino acids such as glutamine have been known to be required for T cell general activation through sustaining basic biosynthetic processes, including nucleotide biosynthesis, ATP generation, and protein synthesis. In this important study, the authors found that extracellular asparagine (Asn) is required not only for T cells to generally refuel metabolic reprogramming, but to produce helper T cell lineage-specific cytokine, for instance, IL17. In particular, the importance of Asn in IL17 production was convincingly demonstrated in the mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitei (EAE) model, mimicking human multiple sclerosis disease.

eLife Assessment

This study presents valuable data suggesting that ATP-induced modulation of alveolar macrophage (AM) functions is associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation and enhanced phagocytic capacity. While the in vivo and in vitro data reveal an interesting phenotype, the evidence provided is incomplete and does not fully support the paper's conclusions. Additional investigations would be of value in complementing the data and strengthening the interpretation of the results. This study should be of interest to immunologists and the mucosal immunity community.

eLife Assessment

This study illustrates a valuable application of BID-seq to bacterial RNA, allowing transcriptome-wide mapping of pseudouridine modifications across various bacterial species. The evidence presented includes a mix of solid and incomplete data and analyses, and would benefit from more rigorous approaches. The work will interest a specialized audience involved in RNA biology.

eLife Assessment

This important study convincingly shows that Vibrio bacteria act as predators of ecologically significant algae that contribute to harmful blooms in the lab, as well as in their natural habitat. While the data strongly suggest that starvation may induce predation, further work is needed to fully establish this link. Similarly, the evidence for a social component in the predation process remains incomplete. This study will be very impactful to those interested in the diversity of microbial predator-prey interactions and controlling toxic algal bloom, but the paper could be strengthened by more clearly showing the degree of replication, by better defining the terms used to describe the observed behaviour, and by providing better support for starvation and collective behaviour.

eLife Assessment

This valuable work presents a novel computational framework for modeling macroscopic traveling waves in the mouse cortex by integrating open-source connectomic and transcriptomic data into a spiking network model. This approach allows the computational model to assign excitatory/inhibitory connections based on neurotransmitter profiles and extends simulations to the 3D domain. The authors present results that demonstrate how spatiotemporal dynamics such as slow oscillations (0.5-4 Hz) emerge and self-organize at the whole-brain scale. This study provides convincing initial insights into the structural basis of traveling waves at the whole-brain scale in the mouse.

eLife Assessment

This fundamental work significantly advances our understanding of gravity sensing and orientation behavior in the ctenophore, an animal of major importance in understanding the evolution of nervous systems. Through comprehensive reconstruction with volumetric electron microscopy, and time-lapse imaging of cilia motion, the authors provide compelling evidence that the aboral nerve net coordinates the activity of balancer cilia. The resemblance to the ciliomotor circuit in marine annelids provides a fascinating example of how neural circuits may convergently evolve to solve common sensorimotor challenges.

eLife Assessment

In this manuscript, the authors investigate the migration of human cortical interneurons under hypoxic conditions using forebrain assembloids and developing human brain tissue, and probe the underlying mechanisms. The study provides the first direct evidence that hypoxia delays interneuron migration and identifies adrenomedullin (ADM) as a potential therapeutic intervention. The findings are important, and the conclusions are convincingly supported by experimental evidence.

eLife Assessment

This fundamental work advances our understanding of how SP5 and SP8 promote neuromesodermal competent progenitors in murine embryos. Generally the evidence is compelling, with strong developmental genetics, transcriptomic, and genomic transcription binding surveys contributing to the strength of the data. Some of the language could be softened to avoid overinterpretation of the data, and figures and diagrams could be improved.

eLife Assessment

This study presents a valuable and rigorous molecular resource, offering subtype-specific insight into the composition of ribosome-associated protein complexes in the developing cerebral cortex. The evidence is compelling in terms of data quality and is strongly supported by the results, given the rigorous technical execution. However, the findings remain primarily descriptive, as the study lacks functional validation to support mechanistic conclusions.

eLife Assessment

In this fundamental manuscript, Richter et al. present a thorough anatomical characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster larval pharyngeal sensory system, which is involved in taste-guided behaviors. This study fills a major gap in the larval sensory map, providing a compelling neuroanatomical foundation for future investigations into sensory circuits and behavior. The data presented here are of exceptional quality and will be of interest to the Drosophila neurobiology community.

eLife Assessment

This important work provides convincing evidence of the cognitive and neural mechanisms that give rise to feelings of shame and guilt, as well as their transformation into compensatory behavior. The authors combine well-designed manipulations of responsibility and harm with computational cognitive modeling and neuroimaging to provide a comprehensive account of how emotions are experienced and acted upon.

eLife Assessment

This manuscript uses modeling approaches to provide mechanistic insight into the structural and dynamic properties of enhancer-promoter interactions in Drosophila. Given the interest in this field, this is a timely approach, and the results give useful insights by providing predictions about the processivity of cohesin loop extrusion in Drosophila and concluding that the compartmental interaction strength is poised near criticality in the coil-globule phase space. The evidence provided to support some of the conclusions is, however, incomplete and would be strengthened by better considering some of the caveats in the data used to constrain the models, such as the use of "homie" genetic elements in the dynamic data. There is insufficient evidence provided for the dynamics being criticality-driven, and in addition, consideration of alternative models would further strengthen the conclusions of the manuscript.

eLife Assessment

This important work describes the adaptation and evaluation of two red-shifted anion channelrhodopsins (RubyACRs) for optogenetic inhibition in Drosophila. The study provides convincing evidence for the effectiveness of RubyACRs in fly neurons, including electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and behavioral analysis. With minor revisions to address potential toxicity and compatibility with 2-photon imaging, this paper and the publicly available fly lines it describes will be resources that are of value to the neuroscience community.

eLife Assessment

This manuscript is useful as it demonstrates that Rv2577, a Fe³⁺/Zn²⁺-dependent metallophosphatase, is secreted by Mycobacterium bovis BCG and localizes to the nucleus of mammalian cells, altering transcriptional and inflammatory responses. However, the study is incomplete as it lacks activity validation in macrophage cells and with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. It is necessary to confirm Rv2577 secretion from a virulent strain and to clarify the direct or indirect role of MmpE in modulating host pathways, together with mechanistic insight into how MmpE influences lysosomal biogenesis and trafficking.

eLife Assessment

This important study applies a novel signal decomposition method to disentangle distinct signals contributing to the decision-making process, and provides convincing evidence for the operation of separate sensory encoding, attentional orienting, and ramping evidence accumulation signals. These findings are consistent with previous work, except for the absence of a motor component, which may relate to limitations of the analysis approach.