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ins-1

C. elegans

Insulin-like peptide INSL5

What the model saw

Gene: ins-1
Organism: Caenorhabditis elegans
Known functions: Insulin-like peptide INSL5. hormone activity.
View unredacted entry
Insulin-like peptide INSL5. hormone activity.

Solver output

Predicted influence
Anti-longevity
Confidence
78%
Mechanism
Deregulated nutrient sensing
Reasoning

ins-1 encodes an insulin-like peptide in C. elegans that acts as a ligand for the DAF-2 insulin/IGF-1 receptor. Activation of DAF-2 by insulin-like peptides triggers the PI3K/AKT signaling cascade, which phosphorylates and cytoplasmatically sequesters the FOXO transcription factor DAF-16. DAF-16 nuclear exclusion suppresses expression of stress-resistance, detoxification, and longevity-promoting genes. Reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling (e.g., daf-2 loss-of-function) is one of the most robust pro-longevity interventions in C. elegans, doubling lifespan in a DAF-16-dependent manner. Therefore, ins-1, as an agonist ligand driving DAF-2 activation, opposes longevity by promoting DAF-16 inhibition and suppressing the transcriptional longevity program.

Key pathways
Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathwayDAF-2/DAF-16 axisPI3K/AKT nutrient-sensing cascade
Longevity influence
Pro-longevity
Lifespan effect
Increase

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
Incorrect
Mechanism
Incorrect
Reasoning quality
3/5
Failure mode
Confident wrong
Notes

The model predicted anti_longevity but the ground truth is pro_longevity. The model's reasoning follows the general logic that insulin-like peptides activate DAF-2, which suppresses DAF-16 and thus reduces longevity. However, ins-1 in C. elegans is actually an antagonist of DAF-2 signaling (not an agonist), acting as a partial agonist/antagonist that competes with other insulin-like peptides and can actually promote longevity by dampening IIS. The model incorrectly assumed ins-1 is a straightforward agonist of DAF-2, when in fact it has been shown to act as an antagonist ligand that reduces DAF-2 signaling, thereby promoting DAF-16 nuclear localization and extending lifespan. The reasoning quality is moderate — the general framework about IIS pathway is correct, but the specific role of ins-1 as an antagonist rather than agonist was missed, leading to the wrong conclusion with high confidence (0.78).

Raw API responses

solver

{
  "reasoning": "ins-1 encodes an insulin-like peptide in C. elegans that acts as a ligand for the DAF-2 insulin/IGF-1 receptor. Activation of DAF-2 by insulin-like peptides triggers the PI3K/AKT signaling cascade, which phosphorylates and cytoplasmatically sequesters the FOXO transcription factor DAF-16. DAF-16 nuclear exclusion suppresses expression of stress-resistance, detoxification, and longevity-promoting genes. Reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling (e.g., daf-2 loss-of-function) is one of the most robust pro-longevity interventions in C. elegans, doubling lifespan in a DAF-16-dependent manner. Therefore, ins-1, as an agonist ligand driving DAF-2 activation, opposes longevity by promoting DAF-16 inhibition and suppressing the transcriptional longevity program.",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "key_pathways": [
    "Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway",
    "DAF-2/DAF-16 axis",
    "PI3K/AKT nutrient-sensing cascade"
  ],
  "mechanism_class": "deregulated_nutrient_sensing",
  "longevity_influence": "anti_longevity"
}

advisor

{
  "notes": "The model predicted anti_longevity but the ground truth is pro_longevity. The model's reasoning follows the general logic that insulin-like peptides activate DAF-2, which suppresses DAF-16 and thus reduces longevity. However, ins-1 in C. elegans is actually an antagonist of DAF-2 signaling (not an agonist), acting as a partial agonist/antagonist that competes with other insulin-like peptides and can actually promote longevity by dampening IIS. The model incorrectly assumed ins-1 is a straightforward agonist of DAF-2, when in fact it has been shown to act as an antagonist ligand that reduces DAF-2 signaling, thereby promoting DAF-16 nuclear localization and extending lifespan. The reasoning quality is moderate — the general framework about IIS pathway is correct, but the specific role of ins-1 as an antagonist rather than agonist was missed, leading to the wrong conclusion with high confidence (0.78).",
  "failure_mode": "confident_wrong",
  "answer_correct": false,
  "mechanism_correct": false,
  "reasoning_quality": 3,
  "ground_truth_questionable": false
}