Now that I have gathered the necessary information, I'll provide a comprehensive review of GO-CAM model 627d95ee00000024 (IL12-mediated signaling pathway - Human).
Review of GO-CAM Model gomodel:627d95ee00000024¶
Model Information¶
- ID: gomodel:627d95ee00000024
- Title: IL12-mediated signaling pathway (Human)
- Taxon: Human (NCBITaxon:9606)
- Status: Production
Overview of the Model¶
This model represents the IL-12-mediated signaling pathway in humans, which is important for immune function. IL-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine comprised of IL12A (p35) and IL12B (p40) subunits that plays a critical role in regulating T-cell and natural killer cell responses.
Model Structure and Flow¶
The model depicts the following key elements of the IL-12 signaling pathway:
- IL-12 cytokine (IL12A/IL12B) binds to its receptor complex (IL12RB1/IL12RB2)
- Receptor binding activates associated tyrosine kinases (TYK2, JAK2)
- Activated kinases lead to STAT4 activation
- STAT4 translocates to the nucleus and acts as a transcription factor
Detailed Evaluation¶
Pathway Components and Connectivity¶
The model correctly represents the major components of the IL-12 signaling pathway:
- IL-12 Cytokine (represented by two subunits):
- IL12A (UniProtKB:P29459) with protein binding and cytokine activity
-
IL12B (UniProtKB:P29460) with cytokine activity
-
IL-12 Receptor Complex:
- IL12RB1 (UniProtKB:P42701) with interleukin-12 receptor activity
-
IL12RB2 (UniProtKB:Q99665) with coreceptor activity
-
Tyrosine Kinases:
- TYK2 (UniProtKB:P29597) with protein tyrosine kinase activity
-
JAK2 (UniProtKB:O60674) with protein tyrosine kinase activity
-
Transcription Factor:
- STAT4 (UniProtKB:Q14765) with DNA-binding transcription factor activity
Causal Relationships¶
The causal associations in the model use appropriate predicates for representing signaling flow:
- IL12A and IL12B proteins directly positively regulate (RO:0002629) the receptor activities
- IL12RB1 and IL12RB2 directly positively regulate (RO:0002629) the tyrosine kinase activities
- JAK2 directly positively regulates (RO:0002629) STAT4 activity
Subcellular Localization¶
The model correctly localizes the activities to appropriate cellular compartments:
- IL12A/IL12B proteins in extracellular space (GO:0005615)
- IL12RB1/IL12RB2 at the plasma membrane (GO:0005886)
- TYK2 at the cytoplasmic side of plasma membrane (GO:0009898)
- JAK2 at the cytoplasmic side of plasma membrane (extrinsic component, GO:0031234)
- STAT4 in the nucleus (GO:0005634)
Evidence and References¶
The model uses appropriate evidence codes and references from the literature: - Most associations are supported by experimental evidence (ECO:0000314 - direct assay evidence) - Primary references include PMID:7528775, PMID:10899108, PMID:7584494, and PMID:8943050 - The model has proper provenance with contributor identification
Quality Control Issues¶
1. Missing Causal Association¶
One of the causal associations has missing evidence:
{"type":"CausalAssociation","evidence":[],"predicate":"RO:0002629","downstream_activity":"gomodel:627d95ee00000024/62900b6400000186"}
This appears to be a redundant causal association between IL12A (P29459) and IL12RB1 (P42701) that lacks evidence. The same causal relationship is already represented with proper evidence from PMID:7584494, so this appears to be a duplication error.
2. Incorrect Reference Format¶
One reference appears to be incorrectly formatted:
"evidence":[{"term":"ECO:0000314","reference":" 7638186","provenances":[{"contributor":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7646-0052","date":"2022-05-30"}]}]
The PMID is formatted with a leading space instead of the proper "PMID:" prefix.
3. Duplicate Causal Associations¶
The model contains duplicate causal associations:
{
"type":"CausalAssociation","evidence":[{"term":"ECO:0000314","reference":"PMID:7584494","provenances":[{"contributor":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7646-0052","date":"2022-05-30"}]}],"predicate":"RO:0002629","downstream_activity":"gomodel:627d95ee00000024/62900b6400000186"
},
{
"type":"CausalAssociation","evidence":[],"predicate":"RO:0002629","downstream_activity":"gomodel:627d95ee00000024/62900b6400000186"
},
{
"type":"CausalAssociation","evidence":[{"term":"ECO:0000314","reference":"PMID:7584494","provenances":[{"contributor":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7646-0052","date":"2022-05-30"}]},{"term":"ECO:0000314","reference":"PMID:7584494","provenances":[{"contributor":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7646-0052","date":"2022-05-30"}]}],"predicate":"RO:0002629","downstream_activity":"gomodel:627d95ee00000024/62900b6400000186"}
Biological Accuracy Assessment¶
The model accurately represents the biological understanding of the IL-12 signaling pathway as described in the literature:
- The heterodimeric nature of IL-12 (IL12A/IL12B) is correctly represented
- The receptor complex (IL12RB1/IL12RB2) and its binding to IL-12 is properly modeled
- The recruitment and activation of JAK2 and TYK2 kinases is accurately depicted
- The activation of STAT4 and its nuclear translocation for transcriptional activity is correct
This is consistent with the information from PMID:7528775, which describes how IL-12 activates JAK2 and TYK2 for signal transduction, and PMID:8943050, which characterizes the functional IL-12 receptor complex composed of IL12RB1 and IL12RB2.
Consistency with GO-CAM Best Practices¶
The model follows the GO-CAM guidelines for representing complexes as described in "How to annotate complexes in GO-CAM":
- The IL-12 cytokine is represented as separate subunits (IL12A and IL12B) with their respective activities, as appropriate when individual subunit activities are known
- The receptor components (IL12RB1 and IL12RB2) are similarly represented as separate entities with their specific activities
- The causality relationships between components maintain proper biological sequence
Recommendations for Improvement¶
-
Remove redundant causal associations: The duplicate and empty evidence causal associations should be removed
-
Fix reference format: The reference to PMID:7638186 should be properly formatted with the "PMID:" prefix
-
Consider adding phosphorylation details: The model could be enhanced by explicitly representing the phosphorylation events that occur during signaling, such as the phosphorylation of STAT4 by JAK2
-
Add downstream gene expression effects: The model could be extended to include some of the downstream genes regulated by STAT4, particularly those involved in T-helper cell differentiation
-
Potentially include negative regulation components: IL-12 signaling is regulated by various mechanisms, and including negative regulators could provide a more complete picture of the pathway
Conclusion¶
The GO-CAM model gomodel:627d95ee00000024 is an accurate and well-structured representation of the IL-12 signaling pathway in humans. It correctly captures the key components, their subcellular localization, and the causal relationships between them. The model is well-supported by experimental evidence from the literature and follows GO-CAM best practices for representing signaling pathways.
Despite a few minor issues with redundant associations and a formatting error in one reference, the model provides a clear and biologically accurate depiction of IL-12 signaling. With the suggested improvements, it could serve as an excellent reference model for immunology research and teaching purposes.