Evaluated articles

eLife assessment

This valuable study provides in vivo evidence for the synchronization of projection neurons in the olfactory bulb at gamma frequency in an activity-dependent manner. This study uses optogenetics in combination with single-cell recordings to selectively activate sensory input channels within the olfactory bulb. The data are thoughtfully analyzed and presented; the evidence is solid, although some of the conclusions are only partially supported.

eLife Assessment

This important study substantially advances our understanding of noncoding somatic mutations by identifying a novel class of mutations that affect 3'UTR polyadenylation signals enriched in tumor suppressor genes in cancer. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with rigorous statistical analyses. The work will be of broad interest to cancer researchers.

eLife Assessment

In this manuscript, the authors sought to elucidate mechanistic intricacies of inflammatory responses, with emphasis on T cell dysfunction, to S. aureus-induced pneumonia in the context of aging process using Terc deficient mice. Conceptually, the study is very interesting with a set of useful findings. Although some experimental approaches are appropriate, the work as shown in the revised manuscript remains significantly underpowered and the absence of rigorous controls make this study incomplete in support of its claims.

eLife assessment

The study presents a valuable finding that the Endothelin B receptor (ETBR) expressed by the satellite glial cells (SGCs) in the dorsal root ganglions (DRG) inhibited sensory axon regeneration in both adult and aged mice. The evidence supporting most of the conclusions was solid, and the work will be of interest to neuroscientists working on axon regeneration and the involvement of non-neuronal cell types in regulating axon regeneration. Although the proposed mechanism is intriguing and the methodology is robust, the molecular mechanisms by which ETBR regulates axon regeneration are not fully elucidated.

eLife Assessment

This important revised report describes the control of the activity of the RNA-activated protein kinase, PKR, by the Vaccinia virus K3 protein. A strength of the manuscript is the powerful combination of a classic yeast-based assay with high-throughput sequencing and its convincing experimental use to characterize large numbers of PKR variants, now with improved controls for potential biases. A minor current limitation that the authors may address in the future is the scope of the screen in terms of the segments of PKR included.

eLife assessment

This work introduces a Python package, Avian Vocalization Analysis (AVN) that provides several key analysis pipelines for segmentation, annotation, and visualization of zebra finch song. AVN can be used to predict the stage of song development, quantify acoustic similarity, and detect abnormalities associated with deprived auditory feedback or social isolation. The methods are solid and are likely to provide a useful tool for scientists aiming to automate the analysis of large datasets of zebra finch vocalizations.

eLife assessment

The manuscript reports fundamental findings that extra-embryonic visceral yolk sac endoderm is critical for NAD de novo synthesis during early organogenesis, and perturbations of this pathway may cause Congenital NAD Deficiency Disorder. The supporting evidence is solid. This work will be of interest to developmental biologists.

eLife assessment

This study evaluated the role of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) randomized to taVNS vs sham, finding that those with active taVNS exhibited increased parasympathetic activity. The findings are important and cross-disciplinary, while the level of evidence is solid.

eLife assessment

The authors have developed a biosensor for programmed cell-death. They use this biosensor to provide valuable measurements of cell death in a specific early time window of development. However, the title and the discussion suggest a broader window of applicability of the results. The evidence supporting the claims is therefore incomplete. The authors should modify the introduction and discussion to examine their work in the context of extant literature and modify their title to reflect the conclusion that "Zebrafish live imaging reveals around 2%of motor neurons die through apoptosis during a 24-120 hour window in early development".

eLife assessment

This work presents valuable findings that the human frontal cortex is involved in a flexible, dual role in both maintaining information in short-term memory, and controlling this memory content to guide adaptive behavior and decisions. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with a well-designed task, best-practice decoding methods, and careful control analyses. The work will be of broad interest to cognitive neuroscience researchers working on working memory and cognitive control.

eLife assessment

The intrinsic chirality of actin filaments (F-actin) is implicated in the chiral arrangement and movement of cellular structures, but it was unknown how opposite chiralities can arise when the chirality of F-actin is invariant. Kwong et al. present evidence that two actin filament-based cytoskeletal structures, transverse actin arcs and radial stress fibers, drive clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation, respectively. This fundamental work, which has broad implications for cell biology, is supported by compelling data.

eLife Assessment

Transient receptor potential mucolipin 1 (TRPML1) functions as a lysosomal ion channel whose variants are associated with lysosomal storage disorder mucolipidosis type IV. This important report describes local and global structural changes driven by binding of regulatory phospholipids and by mutations that allosterically cause gain or loss of channel function. Most of the claims related to the allosteric regulation of TRPML1 are convincingly supported by two new cryo-EM structures which are evaluated within the context of previously reported TRPML1 structures, and a proposed allosteric gating mechanism is partially supported by functional electrophysiology results.

eLife assessment

This important study presents work on the molecular mechanism driving asymmetric cell division and fate decisions during embryonic development of echinoids. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid overall but with some concerns about quantification and a lack of explanation for some of the findings. The work will be of interest to developmental biologists and cell biologists working in the field of self-renewal.

eLife assessment

This work describes a convincingly validated non-invasive tool for in vivo metabolic phenotyping of aggressive brain tumors in mice brains. The analysis provides a valuable technique that tackles the unmet need for patient stratification and hence for early assessment of therapeutic efficacy. However, wider clinical applicability of the findings can be attained by expanding the work to include more diverse tumor models.

eLife Assessment

This study explores the mechanistic link between glycosylation at the N162 site of the Fc gamma receptor FcγRIIIa and the modulation of NK cell-mediated antibody-dependent cytotoxicity. Using innovative isotope labeling strategies and advanced NMR spectroscopy techniques, the authors provide compelling evidence of how glycan composition influences receptor stability and immune function. These findings offer fundamental insights that may contribute to the development of more effective therapeutic antibodies. The manuscript will be of significant interest to immunologists and researchers focused on therapeutic antibody design.

eLife assessment

This work presents valuable data demonstrating that a camelid single-domain antibody can selectively inhibit a key glycolytic enzyme in trypanosomes via an allosteric mechanism. The claim that this information can be exploited for the design of novel chemotherapeutics is incomplete and limited by the modest effects on parasite growth, as well as the lack of evidence for cellular target engagement in vivo.

eLife assessment

This manuscript describes a novel computational method to investigate cell evolutionary trajectory for scRNA-seq samples. This is an important tool for estimating pseudotime in the evolutionary path through modelling the bifurcations in a Gaussian process. While the evaluation of the method is extensive and compelling, the reviewers suggested further analyses to ensure that the method is indeed robust. When these issues are addressed, this will be of substantive value to biologists interested in scRNA-seq bioinformatic methods.

eLife assessment

This valuable study investigates the role of Drp1 in early embryo development, providing solid evidence on how this protein influences mitochondrial localization and partitioning during the first embryonic divisions. The research employs the Trim-Away technique to eliminate Drp1 in zygotes, revealing critical insights into mitochondrial clustering, spindle formation, and embryonic development.

eLife assessment

This study shows that Znhit1, a regulator of chromatin and of the histone variant H2A.Z, is required for progression through meiotic prophase. It is an important observation that describes the role of epigenetics and gene expression during meiosis. The analysis is based on complementary approaches at the cytological, single-cell, and genomic levels that provide solid evidence for the role of Znhit1 in the control of gene expression and in the loading of H2A.Z in mouse spermatocytes.