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hel-1

C. elegans

Spliceosome RNA helicase DDX39B homolog

What the model saw

Gene: hel-1
Organism: Caenorhabditis elegans
Known functions: Spliceosome RNA helicase DDX39B homolog. ATP binding. ATP hydrolysis activity. RNA helicase activity. RNA polymerase II-specific DNA-binding transcription factor binding. mRNA binding. nucleic acid binding.
View unredacted entry
Spliceosome RNA helicase DDX39B homolog. ATP binding. ATP hydrolysis activity. RNA helicase activity. RNA polymerase II-specific DNA-binding transcription factor binding. mRNA binding. nucleic acid binding.

Solver output

Predicted influence
Pro-longevity
Confidence
62%
Mechanism
Epigenetic alterations
Reasoning

hel-1 encodes a DDX39B homolog, an ATP-dependent RNA helicase essential for pre-mRNA splicing (spliceosome function) and mRNA export. Accurate pre-mRNA splicing is critical for maintaining the transcriptome integrity and proteostasis; defects in splicing fidelity are associated with aging and age-related decline in C. elegans. The interaction with RNA Pol II-specific transcription factors suggests hel-1 also participates in transcription-coupled RNA processing, linking it to proper gene expression regulation. Loss of spliceosome helicase activity leads to aberrant splicing, accumulation of mis-spliced transcripts, and downstream proteotoxic stress — hallmarks of cellular aging. DDX39B orthologs also facilitate nuclear mRNA export, and impaired mRNA export disrupts stress-response pathways (e.g., HSF-1, DAF-16) that are central to longevity in C. elegans. Therefore, normal hel-1 function supports transcriptome fidelity and stress-response gene expression, promoting longevity.

Key pathways
pre-mRNA splicing / spliceosome integritymRNA export and transcriptome fidelityRNA Pol II transcription-coupled RNA processing
Longevity influence
Pro-longevity
Lifespan effect
Decrease

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

Answer
Correct
Mechanism
Correct
Reasoning quality
4/5
Failure mode
Correct
Notes

The model correctly predicted pro_longevity for hel-1. The mechanistic reasoning is plausible and well-grounded: hel-1 as a DDX39B homolog involved in spliceosome function, mRNA export, and transcriptome fidelity, with connections to proteostasis and stress-response pathways (HSF-1, DAF-16) relevant to C. elegans longevity. The mechanism class of "epigenetic_alterations" is a slight mismatch — splicing/RNA processing is more accurately classified as post-transcriptional regulation rather than epigenetic alterations — but the narrative reasoning itself is sound. Confidence of 0.62 is appropriately moderate given the limited direct evidence in the entry.

Raw API responses

solver

{
  "reasoning": "hel-1 encodes a DDX39B homolog, an ATP-dependent RNA helicase essential for pre-mRNA splicing (spliceosome function) and mRNA export. Accurate pre-mRNA splicing is critical for maintaining the transcriptome integrity and proteostasis; defects in splicing fidelity are associated with aging and age-related decline in C. elegans. The interaction with RNA Pol II-specific transcription factors suggests hel-1 also participates in transcription-coupled RNA processing, linking it to proper gene expression regulation. Loss of spliceosome helicase activity leads to aberrant splicing, accumulation of mis-spliced transcripts, and downstream proteotoxic stress — hallmarks of cellular aging. DDX39B orthologs also facilitate nuclear mRNA export, and impaired mRNA export disrupts stress-response pathways (e.g., HSF-1, DAF-16) that are central to longevity in C. elegans. Therefore, normal hel-1 function supports transcriptome fidelity and stress-response gene expression, promoting longevity.",
  "confidence": 0.62,
  "key_pathways": [
    "pre-mRNA splicing / spliceosome integrity",
    "mRNA export and transcriptome fidelity",
    "RNA Pol II transcription-coupled RNA processing"
  ],
  "mechanism_class": "epigenetic_alterations",
  "longevity_influence": "pro_longevity"
}

advisor

{
  "notes": "The model correctly predicted pro_longevity for hel-1. The mechanistic reasoning is plausible and well-grounded: hel-1 as a DDX39B homolog involved in spliceosome function, mRNA export, and transcriptome fidelity, with connections to proteostasis and stress-response pathways (HSF-1, DAF-16) relevant to C. elegans longevity. The mechanism class of \"epigenetic_alterations\" is a slight mismatch — splicing/RNA processing is more accurately classified as post-transcriptional regulation rather than epigenetic alterations — but the narrative reasoning itself is sound. Confidence of 0.62 is appropriately moderate given the limited direct evidence in the entry.",
  "failure_mode": "correct",
  "answer_correct": true,
  "mechanism_correct": true,
  "reasoning_quality": 4,
  "ground_truth_questionable": false
}