eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Probing relaxed myosin states in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by second harmonic-generation microscopy

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Giulia Arecchi
   2. Marica Dente
   3. Weikang Ma
   4. Beatrice Scellini
   5. Nicoletta Piroddi
   6. Marina Scardigli
   7. Jingyuan Yu
   8. Jing Zhao
   9. Riccardo Cicchi
   10. Ryo Kinegawa
   11. Caroline Muellenbroich
   12. Corrado Poggesi
   13. Cecilia Ferrantini
   14. Thomas C Irving
   15. Michael Regnier
   16. Leonardo Sacconi
   17. Chiara Tesi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Arecchi et al. demonstrate that polarized second-harmonic generation microscopy can be used to probe the ON/OFF states of myosin in both permeabilized and intact muscle, making this key measurement accessible to a greater number of labs. This has the potential to help with the study of disease-causing mutations and our understanding of drug function. The methodology is well defined, and the results are important; however, whilst this is overall a convincing study, there are some limitations to the interpretation of the data.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Phenylhydrazone-based Endoplasmic Reticulum Proteostasis Regulator Compounds with Enhanced Biological Activity

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Gabriel M. Kline
   2. Lisa Boinon
   3. Adrian Guerrero
   4. Sergei Kutseikin
   5. Gabrielle Cruz
   6. Marnie P. Williams
   7. Ryan J. Paxman
   8. William E. Balch
   9. Jeffery W. Kelly
   10. Tingwei Mu
   11. R. Luke Wiseman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study reports the important development and characterization of next-generation analogs of the molecule AA263, which was previously identified for its ability to promote adaptive ER proteostasis remodeling. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, with rigorous assays used to benchmark the changes in potency and efficacy of the AA263 analogs as well as AA263 targets. The ability of AA263 analogs to restore the loss of function associated with disease-associated proteins prone to misfolding will be of interest to pharmacologists, chemical biologists, and cell biologists, as well as those working on protein misfolding disorders.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Convergent Cellular Adaptation to Freeze-Thaw Stress via a Quiescence-like State in Yeast

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Charuhansini Tvishamayi
   2. Farhan Ali
   3. Nandita Chaturvedi
   4. Nithila Madhu-Kumar
   5. Zeenat Rashida
   6. Chandan Muni Reddy
   7. Ankita Ray
   8. Stephan Herminghaus
   9. Shashi Thutupalli

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study demonstrates that yeast populations can rapidly evolve freeze-thaw tolerance by converging on a trehalose-rich, quiescence-like state, illuminating a general physiological route to extreme-stress adaptation. The evidence is solid, combining rigorous experimental-evolution design with multi-scale phenotyping, biophysical measurements, whole-genome sequencing, and quantitative modeling that together support the mechanistic conclusions. Questions about the novelty relative to prior growth/stress tolerance links, the precise genetic versus non-genetic drivers of trehalose up-regulation, and the breadth of independently evolved lines. These are areas for clarification, but these do not substantially weaken the overall contribution.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. SMC complex unidirectionally translocates DNA by coupling segment capture with an asymmetric kleisin path

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Masataka Yamauchi
   2. Giovanni B Brandani
   3. Tsuyoshi Terakawa
   4. Shoji Takada

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study presents a well-constructed multiscale simulation framework to investigate ATP-driven DNA translocation by prokaryotic SMC complexes, supporting a segment-capture mechanism. The strength of evidence is convincing, highlighting the necessity of a precise balance between electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, as well as the critical role of kleisin asymmetry in ensuring unidirectional movement.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Striatal Crosstalk Between Dopamine and Serotonin Systems

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Yu Liu
   2. Juan Enriquez Traba
   3. Christian Lüscher

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study employs optogenetics, genetically-encoded dopamine and serotonin sensors, and patch-clamp electrophysiology to investigate modulations of neurotransmitter release between striatal dopamine and serotonin neurons - a topic of interest to neuroscientists studying the basal ganglia. The results suggest that the dopamine and serotonin systems operate largely in parallel, with the activation of serotonin neurons resulting in a small, transient dopamine release. The authors suggest that this interaction occurs via glutamate release in the ventral tegmental area, findings that are closely related to previous work. Some conclusions are incomplete requiring larger samples-sizes and controls.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. High-throughput synapse profiling reveals cell-type-specific spatial configurations in the fly brain

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Hongyang Wu
   2. Yoh Maekawa
   3. Sayaka Eno
   4. Shu Kondo
   5. Nobuhiro Yamagata
   6. Hiromu Tanimoto

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work introduces a splitGFP-based labeling tool with an analysis pipeline for the synaptic scaffold protein bruchpilot, with tests in the adult Drosophila mushroom bodies, a learning center in the Drosophila brain. The evidence supporting the conclusions is solid. However, additional controls, validation of synapse-specificity, validation of activity-dependence, details on image processing, and additional functional experiments are needed to strengthen the study.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Developmental constraints mediate the summer solstice reversal of climate effects on European beech bud set

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Dominic Rebindaine
   2. Thomas W Crowther
   3. Susanne S Renner
   4. Zhaofei Wu
   5. Yibiao Zou
   6. Lidong Mo
   7. Haozhi Ma
   8. Raymo Bucher
   9. Constantin M Zohner

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This article presents valuable findings on how the timing of cooling affects the timing of autumn bud set in European beech saplings. The study leverages extensive experimental data and provides an interesting conceptual framework of the various ways in which warming can affect bud set timing. The support for the findings is incomplete, though extra justifications of the experimental settings, clarifications of the interpretation of the results, and alternative statistical analyses can make the conclusions more robust.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Astrocytic modulation of population encoding in mouse visual cortex via GABA transporter 3 revealed by multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Jiho Park
   2. Grayson O Sipe
   3. Xin Tang
   4. Prachi Ojha
   5. Giselle Fernandes
   6. Yi Ning Leow
   7. Caroline Zhang
   8. Yuma Osako
   9. Arundhati Natesan
   10. Gabrielle T Drummond
   11. Rudolf Jaenisch
   12. Mriganka Sur

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     In this manuscript, Park et al. developed a multiplexed CRISPR construct to genetically ablate the GABA transporter GAT3 in the mouse visual cortex, with effects on population-level neuronal activity. This work is important, as it sheds light on how GAT3 controls the processing of visual information. The findings are compelling, leveraging state-of-the-art gene CRISPR/Cas9, in vivo two-photon laser scanning microscopy, and advanced statistical modeling.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. PD-linked LRRK2 G2019S mutation impairs astrocyte morphology and synapse maintenance via ERM hyperphosphorylation

   This article has 17 authors:

   1. Shiyi Wang
   2. Ryan Baumert
   3. Gabrielle Séjourné
   4. Dhanesh Sivadasan Bindu
   5. Kylie Dimond
   6. Kristina Sakers
   7. Leslie Vazquez
   8. Jessica L Moore
   9. Christabel Xin Tan
   10. Tetsuya Takano
   11. Maria Pia Rodriguez
   12. Nick Brose
   13. Luke Bradley
   14. Reed Lessing
   15. Scott H Soderling
   16. Albert R La Spada
   17. Cagla Eroglu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study identifies astrocyte-intrinsic mechanisms by which the LRRK2 G2019S, a mutation linked to familial Parkinson's disease, disrupts synaptic integrity in the anterior cingulate cortex. The findings are convincing, as they rely on a comprehensive set of in vivo and in vitro genetic, biochemical, proteomic, and electrophysiological approaches. They are important because of their translational value, being validated in both mouse models and post-mortem human samples.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Humans underestimate their body mass in microgravity: evidence from reaching movements during spaceflight

    This article has 8 authors:

    1. Zhaoran Zhang
    2. Yu Tian
    3. Chunhui Wang
    4. Changhua Jiang
    5. Bo Wang
    6. Hongqiang Yu
    7. Rui Zhao
    8. Kunlin Wei

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This paper undertakes an important investigation to determine whether movement slowing in microgravity is due to a strategic conservative approach or rather due to an underestimation of the mass of the arm. While the experimental dataset is unique and the coupled experimental and computational analyses comprehensive, the authors present incomplete results to support the claim that movement slowing is due to mass underestimation. Further analysis is needed to rule out alternative explanations.

    Reviewed by eLife