lin-14
C. elegans
Protein lin-14
What the model saw
Gene: lin-14 Organism: Caenorhabditis elegans Known functions: Protein lin-14. RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding. double-stranded DNA binding. single-stranded DNA binding.
View unredacted entry
Protein lin-14. RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding. double-stranded DNA binding. single-stranded DNA binding.
Solver output
LIN-14 is a transcription factor in C. elegans that functions as a master temporal regulator in the heterochronic pathway, binding RNA Pol II regulatory regions to control developmental timing. In the heterochronic pathway, lin-14 acts as an early-stage (L1/L2) transcriptional activator whose downregulation by the microRNA lin-4 is required for normal developmental progression. Persistent or elevated LIN-14 activity delays developmental transitions and is associated with retarded (younger-stage) cell fates, effectively opposing the normal aging/maturation program. Critically, loss-of-function mutations in lin-14 have been shown to extend lifespan in C. elegans, indicating that the normal function of LIN-14 is to promote aging and limit longevity. This places lin-14 in the heterochronic/temporal signaling axis, which intersects with altered intercellular communication and developmental timing control relevant to aging rate.
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 lin-14 as anti_longevity with good confidence (0.75). The mechanistic reasoning is largely correct - lin-14 is indeed a heterochronic gene and a transcription factor regulated by lin-4 miRNA, and loss-of-function mutations do extend lifespan. The mechanism class "altered_intercellular_communication" is a somewhat imprecise categorization for what is primarily a developmental timing/transcriptional regulation mechanism, but the core reasoning about the heterochronic pathway and the anti-longevity role is accurate. The model correctly notes that LIN-14 promotes aging and limits longevity, making it anti_longevity.
Raw API responses
solver
{
"reasoning": "LIN-14 is a transcription factor in C. elegans that functions as a master temporal regulator in the heterochronic pathway, binding RNA Pol II regulatory regions to control developmental timing. In the heterochronic pathway, lin-14 acts as an early-stage (L1/L2) transcriptional activator whose downregulation by the microRNA lin-4 is required for normal developmental progression. Persistent or elevated LIN-14 activity delays developmental transitions and is associated with retarded (younger-stage) cell fates, effectively opposing the normal aging/maturation program. Critically, loss-of-function mutations in lin-14 have been shown to extend lifespan in C. elegans, indicating that the normal function of LIN-14 is to promote aging and limit longevity. This places lin-14 in the heterochronic/temporal signaling axis, which intersects with altered intercellular communication and developmental timing control relevant to aging rate.",
"confidence": 0.75,
"key_pathways": [
"heterochronic pathway (lin-4/lin-14 axis)",
"RNA polymerase II transcriptional regulation",
"developmental timing and temporal identity"
],
"mechanism_class": "altered_intercellular_communication",
"longevity_influence": "anti_longevity"
}advisor
{
"notes": "The model correctly identified lin-14 as anti_longevity with good confidence (0.75). The mechanistic reasoning is largely correct - lin-14 is indeed a heterochronic gene and a transcription factor regulated by lin-4 miRNA, and loss-of-function mutations do extend lifespan. The mechanism class \"altered_intercellular_communication\" is a somewhat imprecise categorization for what is primarily a developmental timing/transcriptional regulation mechanism, but the core reasoning about the heterochronic pathway and the anti-longevity role is accurate. The model correctly notes that LIN-14 promotes aging and limits longevity, making it anti_longevity.",
"failure_mode": "correct",
"answer_correct": true,
"mechanism_correct": true,
"reasoning_quality": 4,
"ground_truth_questionable": false
}