Satellite model organisms

Reviewing GO annotations for nematodes studied as comparators to C. elegans

AI Gene Review · projects/SATELLITE_MODEL_ORGANISMS · 2026

Bottom line

  • C. briggsae and P. pacificus are comparators for C. elegans; most of their GO annotations come by orthology.
  • We reviewed 11 genes (10 C. briggsae, 1 P. pacificus): 115 existing rows, 52 ACCEPT, 43 non-core, and 4 NEW terms proposed.
  • she-1, a C. briggsae-specific F-box gene with no GO annotations, was curated from the literature. Next: decide on TrEMBL-only P. pacificus genes.

Why satellites

  • A satellite is studied to interpret a reference MOD, not as a MOD itself.
  • Their annotations are mostly IEA/IBA transfers from C. elegans and beyond. The review asks whether each transfer holds in the satellite species.
  • Sex determination is the classic C. briggsae vs C. elegans evo-devo story, so it was the first batch.
  • P. pacificus has one Swiss-Prot entry (oaz, antizyme) against ~26,000 TrEMBL entries.

The sex-determination batch

Results per gene

oaz is P. pacificus; all others C. briggsae. she-1 has no bar because it had no existing annotations.

Notable calls

Gene Call
fem-3 NEW GO:1990756 ubiquitin ligase-substrate adaptor activity; 3 IEA rows REMOVED (e.g. GO:0060282 positive regulation of oocyte development)
tra-2 NEW GO:0030674 protein-macromolecule adaptor activity (IPI); its 2 protein binding rows marked over-annotated
drd-5 NEW GO:0016229 steroid dehydrogenase activity and GO:0120178 steroid hormone biosynthetic process (ISS)
kin-1 generic kinase terms MODIFY → GO:0004691 cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity
cep-1 GO:0003700 MODIFY → GO:0000981 (RNA Pol II-specific TF activity)
she-1 de-novo core function: ubiquitin ligase-substrate adaptor activity (GO:1990756)

Status and next steps

  • ✅ 11/11 seeded genes reviewed (genes/CAEBR/*, genes/PRIPA/oaz).
  • ⬜ P. pacificus developmental-plasticity genes (e.g. the eud-1 morph switch) are TrEMBL-only; not started.
  • In each review, record whether an orthology-based term is backed by direct evidence in the satellite species.

Read more: projects/SATELLITE_MODEL_ORGANISMS.md · genes/CAEBR/ · genes/PRIPA/oaz/