emb-27
C. elegans
Cell division cycle protein 16 homolog
What the model saw
Gene: emb-27 Organism: Caenorhabditis elegans Known functions: Cell division cycle protein 16 homolog. enzyme-substrate adaptor activity.
View unredacted entry
Cell division cycle protein 16 homolog. enzyme-substrate adaptor activity.
Solver output
emb-27 encodes the C. elegans homolog of CDC16, a core subunit of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C), a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase. As an enzyme-substrate adaptor within the APC/C, CDC16 (APC6) contributes to the recognition and ubiquitination of cell cycle substrates such as cyclins and securin, driving mitotic exit and cell cycle progression. While proper APC/C function is essential for genome stability and preventing aberrant cell division, the APC/C also has post-mitotic roles in neurons and other tissues that could influence aging. However, the net effect on longevity is ambiguous: loss of APC/C activity can cause mitotic arrest and embryonic lethality (as the "emb" designation implies), but gain or altered function in post-mitotic tissues has complex effects. The direct link between CDC16/APC/C adaptor activity and canonical longevity pathways (e.g., insulin/IGF-1, TOR, or mitochondrial signaling) is not clearly established, making a definitive pro- or anti-longevity call difficult.
GenAge curators classify each gene's normal function as promoting (Pro-Longevity) or opposing (Anti-Longevity) longevity, based on synthesis across studies. Loss-of-function effects can vary from this depending on the manipulation.
Advisor judgment
The model correctly identified emb-27 as the C. elegans CDC16 homolog and a core APC/C subunit, and its mechanistic reasoning about APC/C function is accurate. However, the model predicted "unclear" when the ground truth is "anti_longevity." The model was appropriately uncertain given the complexity of the gene's roles, but it failed to commit to the correct answer. The model's confidence of 0.38 reflects genuine uncertainty, and it did acknowledge the embryonic lethal phenotype and complexity of APC/C roles. The mechanism discussion is solid but the final call was wrong.
Raw API responses
solver
{
"reasoning": "emb-27 encodes the C. elegans homolog of CDC16, a core subunit of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C), a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase. As an enzyme-substrate adaptor within the APC/C, CDC16 (APC6) contributes to the recognition and ubiquitination of cell cycle substrates such as cyclins and securin, driving mitotic exit and cell cycle progression. While proper APC/C function is essential for genome stability and preventing aberrant cell division, the APC/C also has post-mitotic roles in neurons and other tissues that could influence aging. However, the net effect on longevity is ambiguous: loss of APC/C activity can cause mitotic arrest and embryonic lethality (as the \"emb\" designation implies), but gain or altered function in post-mitotic tissues has complex effects. The direct link between CDC16/APC/C adaptor activity and canonical longevity pathways (e.g., insulin/IGF-1, TOR, or mitochondrial signaling) is not clearly established, making a definitive pro- or anti-longevity call difficult.",
"confidence": 0.38,
"key_pathways": [
"APC/C ubiquitin ligase complex",
"cell cycle regulation and mitotic exit",
"ubiquitin-proteasome system"
],
"mechanism_class": "cellular_senescence",
"longevity_influence": "unclear"
}advisor
{
"notes": "The model correctly identified emb-27 as the C. elegans CDC16 homolog and a core APC/C subunit, and its mechanistic reasoning about APC/C function is accurate. However, the model predicted \"unclear\" when the ground truth is \"anti_longevity.\" The model was appropriately uncertain given the complexity of the gene's roles, but it failed to commit to the correct answer. The model's confidence of 0.38 reflects genuine uncertainty, and it did acknowledge the embryonic lethal phenotype and complexity of APC/C roles. The mechanism discussion is solid but the final call was wrong.",
"failure_mode": "appropriately_uncertain",
"answer_correct": false,
"mechanism_correct": true,
"reasoning_quality": 3,
"ground_truth_questionable": false
}