Evaluated articles

eLife Assessment

The authors developed a fundamental computational method, which is intended to automatically process bioluminescence imaging-derived tumour images across anatomical regions and over time. This allows quantitative analysis of such data, and the authors applied it to describe the spatiotemporal distribution of tumour cells in response to CD19-targeted CAR-T cells that contained either CD28 or 4-1BB costimulatory domains. Some operational limitations were identified, which relate to the pipeline's reliance on predefined regions of interest instead of aligning signal sites with anatomical information, scaling, and not taking animal pose into account. Overall, the authors provide compelling evidence for the functionality of their computational approach towards automated analysis of bioluminescence imaging data, while applying it to a current topic of wide interest in cell therapy research.

eLife Assessment

This important study investigates changes in oscillatory activity across cortical and subcortical areas during stroke recovery in a nonhuman primate model. The authors distinguish between global and local oscillatory bursts, providing solid evidence that these two types of bursts correlate with distinct aspects of movement; additionally, they show that the likelihood of these bursts occurring follows opposing trends during recovery. The study could be further improved by accounting for inter-individual differences and by some technical improvements, such as employing more robust burst detection methods and more stringent analyses.

eLife Assessment

This manuscript describes solid and very interesting findings that substantially advance our understanding of a major research question on the role of Cx32 hemichannels in the Schwann cell paranode. It provides an interdisciplinary integration of imaging, in silico approaches, and functional data. This important study proposes a new mechanism with profound physiological relevance and provides new insights into glial modulation of electrical conduction in sensory/motor myelinated nerves.

eLife Assessment

The article presents important findings of a dissociation between phasic and tonic pain functions in adaptive behavior, combining immersive VR, computational modeling, skin conductance, and EEG data. The methodology used is solid. Its ecological design and sophisticated computational modeling are major strengths. The article would benefit from adding details on hypotheses, VR implementation, sample size determination, modeling, analysis, and pain specificity.

eLife Assessment

The study presents valuable theoretical insights by attempting to classify pattern-forming gene subnetworks and exploring their potential mechanisms. However, the results are incomplete, as they rely on oversimplified models, limited classifications, and assumptions that may not hold in more complex or realistic scenarios.

eLife Assessment

This work provides high-precision single-cell data on the relationship between DnaA activity and cell size, offering important insights for the field of cell cycle control. These findings motivate a novel and intriguing hypothesis for DNA replication initiation -the "extrusion model"- in which DNA-binding proteins modulate free DnaA availability in response to biomass-DNA imbalance. While the current indirect evidence does not fully establish the model, an experimental perturbation involving H-NS offers convincing support for its plausibility, laying the groundwork for future investigation.

eLife Assessment

This well-designed, valuable study uses isotope tracing to analyse how iron limitation alters TCA cycle metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, revealing potential antibiotic targets for non-replicating bacteria in the host. The findings provide insights into metabolic remodelling under iron-limited conditions. Whilst some of the evidence is solid, the data around the GABA shunt is incomplete, requiring genetic validation, as was done for the glyoxylate shunt. Questions remain about the underlying mechanisms and their specific role in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis.

eLife Assessment

This important paper reports the development of proteins and small molecules that induce degradation of a clinically-relevant oncogenic transcription factor, LMO2. The findings provide a proof of concept that PROTAC-type chemicals can be developed against intrinsically disordered proteins. The methods provide a blueprint for rational design of PROTACs starting from intracellular antibody paratopes. Overall, the paper is supported by solid evidence and will be of interest to chemical biologists and cancer pharmacologists.

eLife Assessment

This valuable work substantially advances our understanding of prognostic value of total gfDNA in gastric cancer. The evidence supporting the conclusions is solid, supported by a large, well-classified patient cohort and controlled clinical variables. The work will be of broad interest to scientists and clinical pathologist working in the field of gastric cancer.

eLife Assessment

This is a valuable computational study of odor responses in the early olfactory system of insects and vertebrates. The study addresses the question of how information about odor concentration is encoded by second-order neurons in the invertebrate and vertebrate olfactory system; it offers insights into the transformation of neural signals from receptors to second-order neurons. While reanalysis of published data presents solid evidence supporting compression of concentration information, incomplete analysis is provided to resolve how this observation could be reconciled with the need to preserve information about changes in stimulus intensity. This work will be of interest to neuroscientists studying sensory processing broadly and olfaction specifically.

eLife Assessment

This useful paper examined the mechanism of planar cell polarity (PCP) using Drosophila pupal wing, investigating how 'cellular level', 'molecular level' and 'tissue level' mechanisms intersect to establish PCP. This represents progress for the field and the conclusions are mostly backed up by solid data. Whereas the manuscript is sound overall, remaining concerns could be addressed by textual clarification of the concepts used in the manuscript.

[Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons and revised by the authors.]

eLife Assessment

This manuscript reports a large series of experiments to investigate specific aspects of plant adaptation, leveraging genetic and genomic resources of Arabidopsis thaliana. The study provides convincing evidence for local adaptation in this highly selfing plant. This is an important dataset contributing to the developing understanding of non-linear selection in plants and beyond.

eLife Assessment

This manuscript presents an in-depth analysis of gene expression across multiple brown algal species with differing life histories, providing convincing evidence for the conservation of life cycle-specific gene expression. While largely descriptive, the study is an important step forward in understanding the core cellular processes that differ between life cycle phases, and its findings will be of broad interest to developmental and evolutionary biologists.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study provides a 3D standardised anatomical atlas of the brain of an orb-weaving spider. The authors describe the brain's shape and its inner compartments-the neuropils-and add information on the distribution of a number of neuroactive substances such as neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Through the use of histological and microscopy methods the authors provide a more complete view of an arachnid brain than previous studies and also presents convincing evidence about the organisation and homology of brain regions. The work will serve as a reference for future studies on spider brains and will enables comparisons of brain regions with insects so that the evolution of these structures can be inferred across arthropods.

eLife Assessment

This study presents useful findings on how the transient absence of visual input (i.e., darkness) affects tactile neural encoding in the somatosensory cortex. The evidence supporting the authors' claims is incomplete, as key conclusions rely on subtle differences in surface roughness discriminability between sensory conditions, whose physiological underpinnings remain unclear. Potential methodological confounds are also not fully addressed. With additional analyses and methodological clarifications, this work could substantially inform neuroscientists studying cross-modal interactions.

eLife Assessment

This important study provides evidence for dynamic coupling between translation initiation and elongation that can help maintain low ribosome density and translational homeostasis. The authors combine single-molecule imaging with a new approach to analyze mRNA translation kinetics using Bayesian modeling. This work is overall solid, but certain key aspects and model assumptions could be strengthened.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study provides solid evidence that MgdE, a conserved mycobacterial nucleomodulin, downregulates inflammatory gene transcription by interacting with the histone methyltransferase COMPASS complex and altering histone H3 lysine methylation. There are areas where the evidence could be strengthened, for example, GFP immunoblotting and examining MgdE localization during infection. To enhance impact, the authors could consider Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection experiments and/or reworking the manuscript to emphasize general relevance to microbiologists and cell biologists.

eLife Assessment

This study describes a genetic screen to identify deubiquitinases (DUBs) that counteract the activity of small-molecule degraders (PROTACs). The presented data are valuable, identifying OTUD6A and UCHL5 as DUBs that impact the efficacy and potency of PROTACs. While the conclusions are broadly supported and the methods employed are solid, the mechanistic depth and validation are incomplete. Overall, these findings merit further evaluation by the targeted protein degradation community when developing and optimizing PROTACs.

eLife Assessment

This important study identifies a plant-derived metabolite, betulin, as an effective natural insecticide against aphids and uncovers its specific molecular target. The evidence is compelling, combining greenhouse and field efficacy trials with rigorous molecular, genetic, and electrophysiological approaches that converge on a conserved binding site in the aphid GABA receptor. While additional work is needed to fully assess potential off-target effects and ecological safety, the study provides a strong mechanistic foundation. These findings will be of interest to researchers in plant biology, chemical ecology, and sustainable pest management.

eLife Assessment

This manuscript reports a high-quality genome assembly of the European cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, a representative species of the Cephalopod lineage. The data are based on current best practices for sequencing and genome assembly, including PacBio HiFi long reads and Hi-C chromatin conformation capture; the analysis is currently in parts incomplete, as further analyses are required to confirm the correct chromosome number. This genome will be a useful resource for the community of researchers interested in cuttlefish biology and comparative genomics in general.