Evaluated articles

eLife Assessment

The authors proposed two hypotheses: first, that methamphetamine induces neuroinflammation, and second, that it alters neuronal stem cell differentiation. These are valuable hypotheses, and the authors provided in vivo observations of the methamphetamine response in mice. However, concerns remain regarding the interpretation of the data, and the current evidence is incomplete, requiring substantial experimental validation.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study investigates the neural basis of bidirectional communication between the cortex and hippocampus during learning. The evidence supporting the identification of specific circuits and functional cell types involved is convincing. However, certain aspects of the behavioral analysis and statistical interpretation remain incomplete. Overall, the work will be of interest to neuroscientists studying learning and memory.

eLife Assessment

This study provides compelling evidence that action potential (AP) broadening is not a universal feature of homeostatic plasticity in response to chronic activity deprivation. By leveraging state-of-the-art methods across multiple brain regions and laboratories, the authors demonstrate that AP half-width remains largely stable, challenging previous assumptions in the field. These important findings help resolve longstanding inconsistencies in the literature and significantly advance our understanding of neuronal network homeostasis.

eLife Assessment

The authors investigated the potential role of IgG N-glycosylation in Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which may offer significant insights for understanding molecular mechanisms and for the development of therapeutic strategies for this infectious disease. The findings are valuable to the field and the strength of evidence to support the findings is solid.

eLife Assessment

This important work develops the C. elegans as a model organism for studying effort-based discounting by asking the worms to choose between patches of easy and hard to digest bacteria. The authors provide convincing evidence that the nematodes are effort discounting. They also provide solid evidence of involvement of dopamine in the food preference and that the finding is not restricted to lab-acclimated strains.

eLife Assessment

This important work investigates cooperative behaviors in adolescents using a repeated Prisoner's Dilemma game. The computational modeling approach used in the study is solid and rigorous. The work could be further strengthened with the consideration of modeling higher-order social inferences and non-linear relationships between age and observed behavior. Findings from this study will be of interest to developmental psychologists, economists, and social psychologists.

eLife Assessment

The findings of this important study substantially advance our understanding of the transcription factors that can induce hair cell-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells. The presented evidence supporting these findings is compelling, including rigorous characterization of the effects of hair cell induction using both single-cell RNA sequencing and electrophysiological assessments.

eLife Assessment

This study provides a fundamental advancement in our understanding of trabecular meshwork cell diversity and its role in eye pressure regulation and glaucoma using multimodal single-cell analysis, spatial validation, and functional testing that go beyond the current state-of-the-art. The study demonstrates that mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically in one of three distinct cell subtypes (TM3), contributes to elevated IOP in a genetic mouse model of glaucoma carrying a mutation in the transcription factor Lmx1b. While the identification of TM3 cells as metabolically specialized is compelling, there is somewhat limited evidence linking mitochondrial dysfunction to the Lmx1b mutation in TM3 cells.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study introduces a novel experimental and modeling framework to quantify passive joint torques in Drosophila, revealing that passive forces are insufficient to support body weight, contrary to prior assumptions based on larger insects. The approach is technically impressive, combining genetic silencing, kinematic tracking, and biomechanical modeling. However, the strength of evidence is incomplete, limited by concerns about the specificity of the genetic tools, simplifications in the mechanical model, and limited functional interpretation.

eLife Assessment

This fundamental study presents a new method for longitudinally tracking cells in two-photon imaging data that addresses the specific challenges of imaging neurons in the developing cortex. It provides compelling evidence demonstrating reliable longitudinal identification of neurons across the second postnatal week in mice. The study should be of interest to development neuroscientists engaged in population-level recordings using two-photon imaging.

eLife Assessment

This important study introduces a powerful imaging approach that enables deep-tissue visualization in gastruloids using two-photon microscopy, combined with spectral imaging and unmixing to achieve four-color 3D image acquisition. The evidence is compelling that many of the established methods are very helpful (e.g., registration, corrections, signal normalisation, lazy loading bioimage visualisation, spectral decomposition analysis), facilitate the development of quantitative research, and would be of interest to the wider scientific community.

eLife Assessment

This is a fundamental study providing molecular insight into how cross-talk between histone modifications regulates the histone H3K36 methyltransferase SETD2. The manuscript contains excellent quality data, and the conclusions are convincing and justified. This work will be of interest to many biochemists working in the field of chromatin biology and epigenetics.

eLife Assessment

In this important manuscript, Cassell and colleagues set out on a mechanistic and pharmacological exploration of an engineered chimeric small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel 2 (SK2). They show compelling evidence that the SK2 channel possesses a unique extracellular structure that modulates the conductivity of the selectivity filter, and that this structure is the target for the SK2 inhibitor apamin. The interpretations are sound and the writing is clear, and the manuscript was strengthened during review by providing more detailed information for the electrophysiological experiments and the structural analyses attempted, in addition to relating dilation of the filter to mechanisms of inactivation in other potassium channels. This high-quality study will be of interest to membrane protein structural biologists, ion channel biophysicists, and chemical biologists, and will help to inform future drug development targeting SK channels.

eLife Assessment

This valuable work used molecular biology, cell biology, and genetic approaches to unravel individual genes and potential pathways that contribute to paternal mitochondrial inheritance using C. elegans as the model organism. Their microscopy method is cutting edge, with sufficient biological replicates, proper control, and appropriate statistics. These findings are convincing and are of general interest for understanding mitochondrial inheritance in C. elegans, which could have implications for understanding similar biological processes in other organisms.

eLife Assessment

The authors investigate arrestin2-mediated CCR5 endocytosis in the context of clathrin and AP2 contributions. Using an extensive set of NMR experiments, and supported by microscopy and other biophysical assays, the authors provide compelling data on the roles of AP2 and clathrin in CCR5 endocytosis. This important work will appeal to an audience beyond those studying chemokine receptors, including those studying GPCR regulation and trafficking. The distinct role of AP2 and not clathrin will be of particular interest to those studying GPCR internalization mechanisms.

eLife Assessment

This study presents a valuable technical advance in the long-term live imaging of limb regeneration at cellular resolution in Parhyale hawaiensis. The authors develop and carefully validate a method to continuously image entire regenerating legs over several days while minimizing photodamage and optimizing conditions for robust cell tracking, together with post-hoc in situ identification of cell types. The data are convincing, the methodology is rigorous and clearly documented, and the results will be of interest to researchers in regeneration biology, developmental biology, and advanced live imaging and cell tracking software development.

[Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

eLife Assessment

This manuscript by Li, Lu et al., presents important findings on the role of cDC1 in atherosclerosis and their influence on the adaptive immune system. Using Xcr1Cre-Gfp Rosa26LSL-DTA ApoE-/- mouse models, these data convincingly reveal an unexpected, non-redundant role of the XCL1-XCR1 axis in mediating cDC1 contributions to atherosclerosis.

eLife Assessment

This important work offers a fresh perspective central to merozoite surface biology and potential implications on vaccine design, challenging the dogma that MSPs are indispensable invasion engines. Although the authors only deleted bp 132-819, the data based on Western blot, IFA, and RNA‐seq provide compelling evidence that while MSP2 is dispensable for growth, it serves as an immune modulator for AMA1. This work will be of particular interest to scientists working on different aspects of Plasmodium biology and vaccinology.

eLife Assessment

This important study introduces a Bayesian method to determine bacterial counts that accounts for the experimental noise inherent to dilution and plating methods, and distinguishes it from biological uncertainty. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, combining simulated data and experimental data. The method will be of interest to microbial ecologists, and potentially to the broader community interested in inference from biological data, even more so if the domain of application and the limitations are further clarified.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study presents an innovative noninvasive immunotherapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma by combining ultrasound stimulation with calcium-loaded nanodroplets to activate splenic immune responses. The authors provide solid preclinical data, including single-cell transcriptomic analyses and evidence of tumor growth suppression, supported by a creative and well-executed methodology. Further validation of the calcium signaling mechanisms and assessment of long-term safety will strengthen the translational potential of this approach. The work will be of broad interest to researchers in oncology, immunotherapy, and biomedical engineering.