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nrx-1

C. elegans

Neurexin-3-beta

What the model saw

Gene: nrx-1
Organism: Caenorhabditis elegans
Known functions: Neurexin-3-beta. neuroligin family protein binding. transmembrane signaling receptor activity.
View unredacted entry
Neurexin-3-beta. neuroligin family protein binding. transmembrane signaling receptor activity.

Solver output

Predicted influence
Unclear
Confidence
38%
Mechanism
Altered intercellular communication
Reasoning

NRX-1 is a C. elegans neurexin (ortholog of human Neurexin-3-beta) that functions as a transmembrane signaling receptor at synapses, mediating cell-cell communication via neuroligin family protein binding. Neurexins are presynaptic cell-adhesion molecules that organize synaptic structure and modulate neurotransmission. While altered intercellular communication—including neuronal signaling—is a recognized hallmark of aging, the specific role of nrx-1 in longevity regulation in C. elegans is not well-established. Neuronal signaling can influence lifespan through neuroendocrine pathways (e.g., insulin/IGF-1 signaling from neurons), but neurexin's primary role is synaptic organization rather than direct modulation of known longevity pathways such as DAF-2/DAF-16. The molecular function annotations do not clearly indicate whether loss or gain of nrx-1 activity would extend or shorten lifespan, making a directional prediction unreliable.

Key pathways
synaptic cell adhesion via neurexin-neuroligin interactiontransmembrane receptor signaling at the synapseneuroendocrine intercellular communication
Longevity influence
Anti-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
Incorrect
Mechanism
Incorrect
Reasoning quality
2/5
Failure mode
Appropriately uncertain
Notes

The model predicted "unclear" while the ground truth is "anti_longevity" (meaning nrx-1 loss extends lifespan, or nrx-1 promotes aging). The model's reasoning is plausible but generic - it correctly identifies nrx-1 as a neurexin involved in synaptic signaling and intercellular communication, but fails to commit to a directional prediction. The ground truth indicates nrx-1 is anti-longevity, meaning its loss likely extends lifespan. The model's uncertainty is understandable given the limited information provided, but it missed the anti-longevity classification. The mechanism class of "altered_intercellular_communication" is reasonable but not specifically correct. The reasoning quality is low-to-moderate as it's mostly generic without specific mechanistic insight into why nrx-1 would be anti-longevity.

Raw API responses

solver

{
  "reasoning": "NRX-1 is a C. elegans neurexin (ortholog of human Neurexin-3-beta) that functions as a transmembrane signaling receptor at synapses, mediating cell-cell communication via neuroligin family protein binding. Neurexins are presynaptic cell-adhesion molecules that organize synaptic structure and modulate neurotransmission. While altered intercellular communication—including neuronal signaling—is a recognized hallmark of aging, the specific role of nrx-1 in longevity regulation in C. elegans is not well-established. Neuronal signaling can influence lifespan through neuroendocrine pathways (e.g., insulin/IGF-1 signaling from neurons), but neurexin's primary role is synaptic organization rather than direct modulation of known longevity pathways such as DAF-2/DAF-16. The molecular function annotations do not clearly indicate whether loss or gain of nrx-1 activity would extend or shorten lifespan, making a directional prediction unreliable.",
  "confidence": 0.38,
  "key_pathways": [
    "synaptic cell adhesion via neurexin-neuroligin interaction",
    "transmembrane receptor signaling at the synapse",
    "neuroendocrine intercellular communication"
  ],
  "mechanism_class": "altered_intercellular_communication",
  "longevity_influence": "unclear"
}

advisor

{
  "notes": "The model predicted \"unclear\" while the ground truth is \"anti_longevity\" (meaning nrx-1 loss extends lifespan, or nrx-1 promotes aging). The model's reasoning is plausible but generic - it correctly identifies nrx-1 as a neurexin involved in synaptic signaling and intercellular communication, but fails to commit to a directional prediction. The ground truth indicates nrx-1 is anti-longevity, meaning its loss likely extends lifespan. The model's uncertainty is understandable given the limited information provided, but it missed the anti-longevity classification. The mechanism class of \"altered_intercellular_communication\" is reasonable but not specifically correct. The reasoning quality is low-to-moderate as it's mostly generic without specific mechanistic insight into why nrx-1 would be anti-longevity.",
  "failure_mode": "appropriately_uncertain",
  "answer_correct": false,
  "mechanism_correct": false,
  "reasoning_quality": 2,
  "ground_truth_questionable": false
}
nrx-1 · Caenorhabditis elegans | Aging biology eval