Evaluated articles

eLife Assessment

This manuscript reports on an FLIM-based calcium biosensor, G-CaFLITS. It represents an important contribution to the field of genetically-encoded fluorescent biosensors, and will serve as a practical tool for the FLIM imaging community. The paper provides convincing evidence of G-CaFLITS's photophysical properties and its advantages over previous biosensors such as Tq-Ca-FLITS. Although the benefits of G-Ca-FLITS over Tq-Ca-FLITS are limited by the relatively small wavelength shift, it presents some advantages in terms of compatibility with available instrumentation and brightness consistency.

eLife Assessment

This manuscript presents a valuable study utilizing an in vitro organoid system to recapitulate the developmental process of the olfactory epithelium. The authors provided solid evidence indicating that a combination of niche factors can induce organoid development and give rise to multiple cell types. However, the calcium imaging part of the study could be seen as a limitation.

eLife Assessment

This paper presents useful findings that misfolded proteins in the nucleus can impair proteasomal degradation and activate p53. The results supporting the findings are largely solid, but incomplete. The manuscript could be strengthened by including more quantitative data analyses and additional experimentation/discussions on the mechanism of p53 activation by misfolded nuclear proteins. The work will be interesting primarily to scientists studying protein homeostasis.

eLife Assessment

The role of ACVR2A is potentially of importance to both the biology of trophoblast cells and to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. In this manuscript, the authors have taken a useful first step towards better understanding this protein using a loss of function model in trophoblast cell lines and then examining invasion, proliferation, and transcription in these cells. The study is solid and further in vivo evidence on how target factors participate in the occurrence of placental structural disorders and diseases through potential downstream pathways will be invaluable in the future.

eLife Assessment

In this important study, the authors combine innovative experimental approaches, including direct compressibility measurements and traction force analyses, with theoretical modeling to propose that wild-type cells exert compressive forces on softer HRasV12-transformed cells, influencing competition outcomes. The data generally provide solid evidence that transformed epithelial cells exhibit higher compressibility than wild-type cells, a property linked to their compaction during mechanical cell competition. However, the study would benefit from further characterization of how compression affects the behavior of HRasV12 cells and clearer causal links between compressibility and competition outcomes.

eLife Assessment

This is a valuable polymer model that provides insight into the origin of macromolecular mixed and demixed states within transcription clusters. The simulations are well performed and clearly presented in the context of existing experimental datasets. This compelling study will be of interest to those studying gene expression in the context of chromatin.

eLife Assessment

This important study leverages the power of Drosophila genetics and sparsely-labeled neurons to propose an intriguing new model for neuronal injury signaling. The authors present convincing evidence to show that the somatic response to axonal injury can be suppressed if the injury is not complete, suggesting the presence of a new mode of injury 'integration.' While the underlying mechanism of this fascinating observation has yet to be determined, the phenomenon itself will be of broad significance in the field.

eLife Assessment

This is an important study using a combination of optogenetics and calcium imaging to provide insight into the function of the cholinergic input to the prelimbic cortex in probabilistic spatial learning as it relates to threat. These data are timely in contributing to an ongoing discussion in the field about the role of phasic cholinergic signaling to the cortex, about which relatively little is known. The strength of the evidence is incomplete and could be improved by changes in task design and analyses, cross-validation of the conditions in calcium imaging, as well as the incorporation of control experiments to more definitively show it is indeed acetylcholine working in this circuit.

eLife Assessment

In contrast with mammals, measures of cochlear tuning in budgerigars do not match the frequency dependence of behavioral tuning. Earlier behavioral data in the budgerigar had shown good selectivity at around 3-4 kHz, but it was unknown whether this unusual selectivity arose in the inner ear or was a more central adaptation. The authors measured both auditory-nerve tuning curves and stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions and found fairly normal-looking cochlear tuning in the budgerigar. These important findings imply that any behavioral/perceptual differences in frequency selectivity are likely more central in original. These solid new data also provide significant support for the utility of otoacoustic estimates of cochlear tuning.

eLife Assessment

This fundamental study provides new insights into the plasticity mechanisms underlying the formation of spatial maps in the hippocampus. Supported by a large and comprehensive dataset, the evidence is convincing. This study will be of interest to neuroscientists focusing on spatial navigation, learning, and memory.

eLife Assessment

This revised study describes an important new model for in vivo manipulation of microglia, exploring how mutations in the Adar1 gene within microglia contribute to Aicardi-Goutières Syndome. The methodology is validated with exceptional data, supporting the authors' conclusions. The paper underscores both the advantages and limitations of using transplanted cells as a surrogate for microglia, making it a resource that is of value for biologists studying macrophages and microglia.

eLife Assessment

This paper shows convincingly that the human visual system can recalibrate itself to compensate for phase alterations in an image induced by optical blur. This phenomenon is studied using state-of-the-art adaptive optics approaches that allow the manipulation of the eye's optics while making concurrent psychophysical measurements. The findings are broadly important because they highlight a neural mechanism by which flawed information is used to create seemingly accurate perceptions of the visual environment.

eLife Assessment

This study reveals that female moths use ultrasonic sounds emitted by dehydrated plants to guide their oviposition decisions. It highlights sound as an additional sensory modality in host searching, adding an important piece to the puzzle of how insects and plants interact. Through convincing experimental approaches, the authors provide insights that advance our understanding of plant-insect interactions.

eLife Assessment

This important study explores the power of computational methods to predict lifespan-extending small molecules, demonstrating that while these methods significantly increase hit rates, experimental validation remains essential. The study uses all-trans retinoic acid in Caenorhabditis elegans as a model, providing genetic and transcriptomic insights into its longevity effects. The data are compelling in describing a robust, computationally informed screening process for discovering compounds that extend lifespan in this species.

eLife Assessment

The study presents valuable findings on Mendelian randomization-phenome-wide association, with BMI associated with health outcomes, and there is a focus on sex differences. The phenotype and genotype data are convincing. The work will be of interest to researchers and clinicians in epidemiology, public health and medicine.

eLife Assessment

Gating of mechanosensitive channels has been explained by the force-from-lipids model in which mechanical coupling of the channel protein to the plasma membrane transfers force from membrane tension to open the channel. In this important manuscript, the authors provide evidence for this mechanism in two different mechanically gated channels. The experiments were carried out in the same membranes, but the evidence is incomplete without a clear explanation of the relationship between measured mechanical parameters and membrane interfacial tension.

eLife Assessment

This is a valuable study that presents convincing evidence on the genesis of the CPSF6 condensates that form upon HIV-1 infection and the specific molecular determinants involved in their formation, as well as their interactions with SRRM. The study could be strengthened by assessing the relevance of their findings to infection, and in particular, with reverse transcription and gene expression

eLife Assessment

This valuable descriptive manuscript builds on prior research showing that the elimination of Origin Recognition Complex (ORC) subunits does not halt DNA replication. The authors obtain solid data using various methods to genetically remove one or two ORC subunits from specific tissues and still observe replication. The replication appears to be primarily endoreduplication, indicating that ORC-independent replication may promote genome reduplication without mitosis. The mechanism behind this ORC-independent replication remains to be elucidated. The study and mutants described herein lay the groundwork for future research to explore how cells compensate for the absence of ORC and to develop functional approaches to investigate this process. The reviewers suggested the observations could be supported by additional experiments. This work will be of interest to those studying genome duplication and replication.