Based on my review of the GO-CAM model, the literature, and the protein information, I'll now provide a comprehensive review of the model.
Review of GO-CAM Model: gomodel:65039e8700001110¶
Model Overview¶
Title: TRIM69 activation of STK3 by ubiquitination leading to centrosome separation (Human)
ID: gomodel:65039e8700001110
Taxon: Human (NCBITaxon:9606)
Status: Production
Model Summary¶
This model represents a newly identified signaling pathway in which the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM69 regulates STK3 (also known as MST2) by ubiquitination, which in turn activates PLK1 and ultimately NEK2, leading to centrosome separation in mitotic cells. This pathway is important for proper chromosome segregation during cell division.
Factual Accuracy Assessment¶
The model is based on recent research published by Wang et al. in 2023 (PMID:37739411), which identified the "TRIM69-MST2 signaling axis" that regulates centrosome dynamics and chromosome segregation. The paper provides strong experimental evidence supporting the pathway described in the model.
Key points from the literature that are correctly captured in the model:
- TRIM69 acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates STK3/MST2 (not for degradation but for relocalization to the perinuclear cytoskeleton)
- This promotes STK3 association with PLK1, leading to STK3 phosphorylation at S15
- Activated STK3 then phosphorylates NEK2, which in turn phosphorylates centrosomal proteins like C-NAP1 and CROCC to promote centrosome separation
- This pathway is important for proper mitotic progression and centrosome dynamics
Model Structure and Connections¶
The model correctly captures the causal flow through this pathway:
- TRIM69 (E3 ubiquitin ligase activity) → provides input for → PLK1 (protein serine kinase activity)
- PLK1 (protein serine kinase activity) → directly positively regulates → STK3 (protein serine/threonine kinase activity)
- STK3 (protein serine/threonine kinase activity) → directly positively regulates → NEK2 (protein kinase activity)
All four proteins are correctly annotated with their appropriate molecular functions and localized to the centrosome (GO:0005813), which is supported by the literature.
The biological processes are also correctly annotated: - TRIM69 and STK3 are part of "protein localization to centrosome" (GO:0071539) - PLK1 is part of "centrosome cycle" (GO:0007098) - NEK2 is part of "centrosome separation" (GO:0051299)
Evidence and References¶
The model uses appropriate evidence codes: - ECO:0000314 (direct assay evidence used in manual assertion) for most activities and connections - ECO:0000315 (mutant phenotype evidence used in manual assertion) for PLK1's role in centrosome cycle
The primary literature source cited (PMID:37739411) directly supports the relationships in the model. Additional supporting references are used for specific activities of PLK1, STK3, and NEK2.
Areas for Improvement¶
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Missing Molecular Details: The model could be enhanced by including information about the specific ubiquitination sites on STK3 (K279 is mentioned in the paper as one site) and the phosphorylation sites (S15, S316, T336, T384, S385 are mentioned in the paper).
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Downstream Targets: The model stops at NEK2's kinase activity, but could be extended to include NEK2's known phosphorylation targets at the centrosome (C-NAP1/CEP250 and CROCC/rootletin), which are directly responsible for centrosome cohesion dissolution.
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Cellular Compartment Refinement: While all activities are correctly localized to the centrosome, the paper specifies that TRIM69 redistributes STK3 to the "perinuclear cytoskeleton", which could be a more precise cellular compartment annotation.
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PRC1 and Dynein Roles: The paper also describes roles for PRC1 and Dynein in TRIM69-mediated centrosome clustering, which could be included as additional components of this pathway, especially since this function is distinct from the STK3-mediated centrosome disjunction pathway currently modeled.
Consistency with GO-CAM Guidelines¶
The model follows the GO-CAM best practices for representing regulatory pathways: - The "provides input for" relation (RO:0002413) is correctly used when TRIM69 acts on PLK1 - The "directly positively regulates" relation (RO:0002629) is used appropriately to connect kinase activities that directly activate the downstream protein - Each activity is properly contextualized with cellular compartment and biological process
The use of molecular function terms is appropriate, with each protein enabled by its known catalytic activity.
Conclusion¶
This GO-CAM model accurately represents a recently discovered signaling pathway involving TRIM69, STK3/MST2, PLK1, and NEK2 in centrosome dynamics. It is based on sound experimental evidence and follows the GO-CAM guidelines for representing causal molecular mechanisms. The model could be enhanced by adding more molecular details about ubiquitination and phosphorylation sites, and by extending the pathway to include more downstream components.
The model provides a valuable resource for understanding centrosome biology and mitotic regulation, which is particularly relevant to cancer research since centrosome abnormalities are frequently observed in many cancer types, and components of this pathway (especially PLK1 and NEK2) are often dysregulated in cancer.