tba-4
C. elegans
Tubulin alpha chain
What the model saw
Gene: tba-4 Organism: Caenorhabditis elegans Known functions: Tubulin alpha chain. GTP binding. structural constituent of cytoskeleton.
View unredacted entry
Tubulin alpha chain. GTP binding. structural constituent of cytoskeleton.
Solver output
tba-4 encodes an alpha-tubulin subunit in C. elegans, functioning as a structural constituent of the cytoskeleton via GTP binding and incorporation into microtubule polymers. While microtubule integrity is essential for intracellular transport, cell division, and neuronal function, alpha-tubulin paralogs in C. elegans have highly context-dependent roles. Some tubulin isoforms support longevity by maintaining cytoskeletal integrity required for autophagy and organelle transport, while others may be dispensable or even detrimental depending on tissue expression. The GTP-binding activity of alpha-tubulin is a housekeeping biochemical function tied to microtubule polymerization dynamics, which does not map cleanly to a pro- or anti-longevity role without additional functional data specific to tba-4. No strong evidence links this particular paralog to a defined aging pathway such as IIS, mTOR, or mitochondrial function.
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 predicted "unclear" while the ground truth is "anti_longevity." The model's reasoning is generic and doesn't identify any specific mechanism by which tba-4 would be anti-longevity. The model correctly notes that tubulin paralogs have context-dependent roles and that no strong evidence links tba-4 to a defined aging pathway, but ultimately fails to arrive at the correct answer. The confidence of 0.38 reflects appropriate uncertainty, but the model still chose the wrong category. The reasoning quality is low because it doesn't engage with any specific evidence about tba-4's role in aging and relies entirely on generic tubulin biology.
Raw API responses
solver
{
"reasoning": "tba-4 encodes an alpha-tubulin subunit in C. elegans, functioning as a structural constituent of the cytoskeleton via GTP binding and incorporation into microtubule polymers. While microtubule integrity is essential for intracellular transport, cell division, and neuronal function, alpha-tubulin paralogs in C. elegans have highly context-dependent roles. Some tubulin isoforms support longevity by maintaining cytoskeletal integrity required for autophagy and organelle transport, while others may be dispensable or even detrimental depending on tissue expression. The GTP-binding activity of alpha-tubulin is a housekeeping biochemical function tied to microtubule polymerization dynamics, which does not map cleanly to a pro- or anti-longevity role without additional functional data specific to tba-4. No strong evidence links this particular paralog to a defined aging pathway such as IIS, mTOR, or mitochondrial function.",
"confidence": 0.38,
"key_pathways": [
"microtubule polymerization",
"cytoskeletal integrity",
"intracellular transport"
],
"mechanism_class": "other",
"longevity_influence": "unclear"
}advisor
{
"notes": "The model predicted \"unclear\" while the ground truth is \"anti_longevity.\" The model's reasoning is generic and doesn't identify any specific mechanism by which tba-4 would be anti-longevity. The model correctly notes that tubulin paralogs have context-dependent roles and that no strong evidence links tba-4 to a defined aging pathway, but ultimately fails to arrive at the correct answer. The confidence of 0.38 reflects appropriate uncertainty, but the model still chose the wrong category. The reasoning quality is low because it doesn't engage with any specific evidence about tba-4's role in aging and relies entirely on generic tubulin biology.",
"failure_mode": "appropriately_uncertain",
"answer_correct": false,
"mechanism_correct": false,
"reasoning_quality": 2,
"ground_truth_questionable": false
}