Student or educator? Sign up with your school email and get 6 months of Pro free.
CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 7TGF-β signaling in diseasesInvertebrate Immune Response MechanismsImmune Response and Inflammation

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 67 of the 67 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

TGF-β ligand cross-subfamily interactions in the response of Caenorhabditis elegans to a bacterial pathogen

Open access
Ciccarelli, Emma Jo, Wing, Zachary, Bendelstein, Moshe, Johal, Ramandeep Kaur, Singh, Gurjot, Monas, Ayelet, Savage-Dunn, Cathy·2024·PLOS Genetics
DOI 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011324PMC PMC11210861

Published version of a preprint

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

The Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) family consists of numerous secreted peptide growth factors that play significant roles in cell function, tissue patterning, and organismal homeostasis, including wound repair and immunity. Typically studied as homodimers, these ligands have the potential to diversify their functions through ligand interactions that may enhance, repress, or generate novel functions. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , there are only five TGF-β ligands, providing an opportunity to dissect ligand interactions in fewer combinations than in vertebrates. As in vertebrates, these ligands can be divided into bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and TGF-β/Activin subfamilies that predominantly signal through discrete signaling pathways. The BMP subfamily ligand DBL-1 has been well studied for its role in the innate immune response in C . elegans . Here we show that all five TGF-β ligands play a role in survival on bacterial pathogens. We also demonstrate that multiple TGF-β ligand pairs act nonredundantly as part of this response. We show that the two BMP-like ligands–DBL-1 and TIG-2–function independently of each other in the immune response, while TIG-2/BMP and the TGF-β/Activin-like ligand TIG-3 function together. Structural modeling supports the potential for TIG-2 and TIG-3 to form heterodimers. Additionally, we identify TIG-2 and TIG-3 as members of a rare subset of TGF-β ligands lacking the conserved cysteine responsible for disulfide linking mature dimers. Finally, we show that canonical DBL-1/BMP receptor and Smad signal transducers function in the response to bacterial pathogens, while components of the DAF-7 TGF-β/Activin signaling pathway do not play a major role in survival. These results demonstrate a novel potential for BMP and TGF-β/Activin subfamily ligands to interact and may provide a mechanism for distinguishing the developmental and homeostatic functions of these ligands from an acute response such as the innate immune response to bacterial pathogens.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011324

Cites

67 of 67 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Figures

Fig 1 The BMP-like Ligands DBL-1 and TIG-2 are Required for C. elegans Survival on Bacterial Pathogen. (A) Survival analysis of dbl-1(wk70) and two tig-2 mutants (tig-2(ok3416) and (tig-2(ok3336)) on S. marcescens bacteria. n values: Control (51), dbl-1 (39), tig-2 (ok3416) (43), tig-2 (ok3336) (35). (B) Survival analysis of dbl-1(wk70) and tig-2(ok3416) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (70), dbl-1 (70), tig-2 (73). (C) Survival analysis of tig-2dbl-1 double mutant on P. luminescens. n values: Control (94), dbl-1 (53), tig-2 (97), tig-2dbl-1 (55). Statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; **** p < 0.0001. Black asterisks denote significance relative to control, light blue is significance relative to dbl-1, and blue-violet is significance relative to tig-2.
Fig 1 The BMP-like Ligands DBL-1 and TIG-2 are Required for C. elegans Survival on Bacterial Pathogen. (A) Survival analysis of dbl-1(wk70) and two tig-2 mutants (tig-2(ok3416) and (tig-2(ok3336)) on S. marcescens bacteria. n values: Control (51), dbl-1 (39), tig-2 (ok3416) (43), tig-2 (ok3336) (35). (B) Survival analysis of dbl-1(wk70) and tig-2(ok3416) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (70), dbl-1 (70), tig-2 (73). (C) Survival analysis of tig-2dbl-1 double mutant on P. luminescens. n values: Control (94), dbl-1 (53), tig-2 (97), tig-2dbl-1 (55). Statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; **** p < 0.0001. Black asterisks denote significance relative to control, light blue is significance relative to dbl-1, and blue-violet is significance relative to tig-2.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 2 Five TGF-β Ligands Demonstrate Involvement in Survival Against Bacterial Infection. (A) Survival of TGF-β ligand mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. For this trial, strains were grown at 15°C to avoid dauer formation by daf-7 mutants and shifted to 20°C at L4 when exposed to pathogen. n values: Control (70), dbl-1 (70), tig-2 (73), daf-7 (84), unc-129 (82). (B) Survival of TGF-β ligand mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (99), dbl-1 (99), tig-2 (108), tig-3 (62), unc-129 (73). (C) qRT-PCR analysis showing relative expression of TGF-β ligand genes upon 24-hour exposure to P. luminescens in control animals. qRT-PCR data represents repeated analyses of two biological replicates. Statistical analysis done using One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons test. For survivals, statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; **** p < 0.0001. Black asterisks denote significance relative to control, light blue is significance relative to dbl-1, blue-violet is significance relative to tig-2, orange is significance relative to daf-7, and green-cyan is significance relative to tig-3.
Fig 2 Five TGF-β Ligands Demonstrate Involvement in Survival Against Bacterial Infection. (A) Survival of TGF-β ligand mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. For this trial, strains were grown at 15°C to avoid dauer formation by daf-7 mutants and shifted to 20°C at L4 when exposed to pathogen. n values: Control (70), dbl-1 (70), tig-2 (73), daf-7 (84), unc-129 (82). (B) Survival of TGF-β ligand mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (99), dbl-1 (99), tig-2 (108), tig-3 (62), unc-129 (73). (C) qRT-PCR analysis showing relative expression of TGF-β ligand genes upon 24-hour exposure to P. luminescens in control animals. qRT-PCR data represents repeated analyses of two biological replicates. Statistical analysis done using One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons test. For survivals, statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; **** p < 0.0001. Black asterisks denote significance relative to control, light blue is significance relative to dbl-1, blue-violet is significance relative to tig-2, orange is significance relative to daf-7, and green-cyan is significance relative to tig-3.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 3 Two Pairs of TGF-β Ligands Demonstrate Genetic Interactions in the C. elegans Response to Bacterial Infection. (A) Survival analysis of tig-3(tm2092);tig-2(ok3416) double mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (73), tig-2 (68), tig-3 (67), tig-3;tig-2 (71). (B) Survival analysis of tig-3(tm2092);dbl-1(wk70) double mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (73), dbl-1 (104), tig-3 (101), tig-3;dbl-1 (126). (C) Survival analysis of daf-7(m62);dbl-1(wk70) double mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (107), dbl-1 (117), daf-7 (75), daf-7;dbl-1 (92). For this trial, strains were grown at 15°C to avoid dauer formation by daf-7 mutants and shifted to 20°C at L4 when exposed to pathogen. Statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; **** p < 0.0001. Black asterisks show significance relative to control, light blue is significance relative to dbl-1, blue-violet is significance relative to tig-2, green-cyan is significance relative to tig-3, and orange is significance relative to daf-7.
Fig 3 Two Pairs of TGF-β Ligands Demonstrate Genetic Interactions in the C. elegans Response to Bacterial Infection. (A) Survival analysis of tig-3(tm2092);tig-2(ok3416) double mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (73), tig-2 (68), tig-3 (67), tig-3;tig-2 (71). (B) Survival analysis of tig-3(tm2092);dbl-1(wk70) double mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (73), dbl-1 (104), tig-3 (101), tig-3;dbl-1 (126). (C) Survival analysis of daf-7(m62);dbl-1(wk70) double mutants on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (107), dbl-1 (117), daf-7 (75), daf-7;dbl-1 (92). For this trial, strains were grown at 15°C to avoid dauer formation by daf-7 mutants and shifted to 20°C at L4 when exposed to pathogen. Statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; **** p < 0.0001. Black asterisks show significance relative to control, light blue is significance relative to dbl-1, blue-violet is significance relative to tig-2, green-cyan is significance relative to tig-3, and orange is significance relative to daf-7.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 4 Canonical BMP Signaling Components are Involved in the C. elegans Immune Response. (A) Survival of DBL-1 R-Smad mutant sma-2(e502) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (103), sma-2 (88). (B) Survival of DBL-1 Co-Smad mutant sma-4(jj278) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (78), sma-4 (72). (C) Survival analysis of Type I receptor sma-6(wk7) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (88), sma-6 (100). (D) Survival of DAF-7 pathway R-Smad mutant daf-8(e1393) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (90), daf-8 (77). (E) Survival of DAF-7 pathway R-Smad mutant daf-14(m77) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (81), daf-14 (78). (F) Survival analysis of Type I receptor daf-1(m40) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (90), daf-1 (86). Statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; **** p < 0.0001.
Fig 4 Canonical BMP Signaling Components are Involved in the C. elegans Immune Response. (A) Survival of DBL-1 R-Smad mutant sma-2(e502) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (103), sma-2 (88). (B) Survival of DBL-1 Co-Smad mutant sma-4(jj278) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (78), sma-4 (72). (C) Survival analysis of Type I receptor sma-6(wk7) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (88), sma-6 (100). (D) Survival of DAF-7 pathway R-Smad mutant daf-8(e1393) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (90), daf-8 (77). (E) Survival of DAF-7 pathway R-Smad mutant daf-14(m77) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (81), daf-14 (78). (F) Survival analysis of Type I receptor daf-1(m40) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (90), daf-1 (86). Statistical analysis done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; **** p < 0.0001.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 5 tig-2 and tig-3 Mutants Share Reduced Survival and Pumping Rate Phenotypes with sma-3 Mutants. (A) Survival of dbl-1(wk70) and sma-3(wk30) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (88), dbl-1 (74), sma-3 (78). Black asterisks are compared to control. Light blue asterisks are compared to dbl-1. (B) Survival of sma-3(wk30) mutants compared to tig-2(ok3416) and tig-3(tm2092) on P. luminescens bacteria. Black asterisks are compared to control. Magenta asterisks are compared to sma-3. n values: Control (92), sma-3 (74), tig-2 (55), tig-3 (54). Statistical analysis for all survivals done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. Survivals were repeated. (C) Pumping rate per 20 seconds for dbl-1(wk70) compared to control. Statistical analysis done using t test. (D) Pumping rate per 20 seconds for sma-3(wk30), tig-2(ok3416), tig-3(tm2092), and tig-3;tig-2. Black asterisks are compared to control. Magenta asterisks are compared to sma-3. Statistical analysis done using One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons test. n values for all pumping rate experiments: ten worms per strain. Pumping rate experiments were repeated on independent biological samples. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; *** p ≤ 0.001; **** p < 0.0001.
Fig 5 tig-2 and tig-3 Mutants Share Reduced Survival and Pumping Rate Phenotypes with sma-3 Mutants. (A) Survival of dbl-1(wk70) and sma-3(wk30) on P. luminescens bacteria. n values: Control (88), dbl-1 (74), sma-3 (78). Black asterisks are compared to control. Light blue asterisks are compared to dbl-1. (B) Survival of sma-3(wk30) mutants compared to tig-2(ok3416) and tig-3(tm2092) on P. luminescens bacteria. Black asterisks are compared to control. Magenta asterisks are compared to sma-3. n values: Control (92), sma-3 (74), tig-2 (55), tig-3 (54). Statistical analysis for all survivals done using Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test. Survivals were repeated. (C) Pumping rate per 20 seconds for dbl-1(wk70) compared to control. Statistical analysis done using t test. (D) Pumping rate per 20 seconds for sma-3(wk30), tig-2(ok3416), tig-3(tm2092), and tig-3;tig-2. Black asterisks are compared to control. Magenta asterisks are compared to sma-3. Statistical analysis done using One-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons test. n values for all pumping rate experiments: ten worms per strain. Pumping rate experiments were repeated on independent biological samples. ns p > 0.05; * p ≤ 0.05; ** p ≤ 0.01; *** p ≤ 0.001; **** p < 0.0001.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 6 AlphaFold2-Multimer Structural Modeling of TIG-2 and TIG-3 Mature Ligand Homo- and Heterodimer Complexes. Left complex: 3D structures are colored by pLDDT confidence score with deep blue corresponding to regions of very high confidence and orange representing regions of very low confidence or disorder. Right complex: The mature dimer as in the left panel but colored by monomer and following geometric rotation. All cysteine residues (underlined) in mature TIG-2 (with 15–81, 44–113, 48–115 disulfides) and TIG-3 (with 22–26, 25–82, 54–114, 59–116 disulfides) homo- and heterodimers are paired in intrachain disulfide bonds (gold) within the cystine knot domain. The cysteine residue that forms the interchain disulfide bond in the mature dimer is absent in TIG-2 and TIG-3, similar to GDF3, GDF9, and BMP15 [52]. Interestingly, lysine (yellow-green), with its reactive ε-amino group upon deprotonation, is instead substituted for this cysteine residue in both TIG-2 (Lys80) and TIG-3 (Lys81). Amino Acid Sequence: Residues are colored by pLDDT score. The monomer interface tracks consist of confidently predicted dimer-interface contacts (see Methods). (A) Mature TIG-2(purple)/TIG-2(lavender) exhibits high confidence with respect to per-residue structural modeling (pLDDT: 92.7), pairwise residue alignment confidence (pTM: 0.868), and dimeric interaction confidence (ipTM: 0.875). (B) Mature TIG-2(purple)/TIG-3(gray-beige) is confidently modeled regarding its structure and potential for dimerization (pLDDT: 84.9, pTM: 0.798, ipTM: 0.783). (C) Mature TIG-3(brown)/TIG-3(gray-beige) falls slightly below (pLDDT: 68.8) the threshold for a confident structure prediction (pLDDT ≥ 70), and its predicted ability to homodimerize is very low (ipTM: 0.288). Additionally, no confidently predicted (pTM: 0.522) interface residues exist between TIG-3 monomers.
Fig 6 AlphaFold2-Multimer Structural Modeling of TIG-2 and TIG-3 Mature Ligand Homo- and Heterodimer Complexes. Left complex: 3D structures are colored by pLDDT confidence score with deep blue corresponding to regions of very high confidence and orange representing regions of very low confidence or disorder. Right complex: The mature dimer as in the left panel but colored by monomer and following geometric rotation. All cysteine residues (underlined) in mature TIG-2 (with 15–81, 44–113, 48–115 disulfides) and TIG-3 (with 22–26, 25–82, 54–114, 59–116 disulfides) homo- and heterodimers are paired in intrachain disulfide bonds (gold) within the cystine knot domain. The cysteine residue that forms the interchain disulfide bond in the mature dimer is absent in TIG-2 and TIG-3, similar to GDF3, GDF9, and BMP15 [52]. Interestingly, lysine (yellow-green), with its reactive ε-amino group upon deprotonation, is instead substituted for this cysteine residue in both TIG-2 (Lys80) and TIG-3 (Lys81). Amino Acid Sequence: Residues are colored by pLDDT score. The monomer interface tracks consist of confidently predicted dimer-interface contacts (see Methods). (A) Mature TIG-2(purple)/TIG-2(lavender) exhibits high confidence with respect to per-residue structural modeling (pLDDT: 92.7), pairwise residue alignment confidence (pTM: 0.868), and dimeric interaction confidence (ipTM: 0.875). (B) Mature TIG-2(purple)/TIG-3(gray-beige) is confidently modeled regarding its structure and potential for dimerization (pLDDT: 84.9, pTM: 0.798, ipTM: 0.783). (C) Mature TIG-3(brown)/TIG-3(gray-beige) falls slightly below (pLDDT: 68.8) the threshold for a confident structure prediction (pLDDT ≥ 70), and its predicted ability to homodimerize is very low (ipTM: 0.288). Additionally, no confidently predicted (pTM: 0.522) interface residues exist between TIG-3 monomers.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 7 AlphaFold2-Multimer Structural Modeling of TIG-2/TIG-2 and TIG-2/TIG-3 Procomplexes. (A) The TIG-2/TIG-2 procomplex exhibits a symmetric open-arm conformation with monomer A in blue-violet (prodomain) and khaki (mature domain) and monomer B in light blue-violet (prodomain) and dark khaki (mature domain). The right panel is the magnified and rotated area defined by the gray dashed box in the left panel. Interchain residue contacts between the mature domain (khaki) of pro-TIG-2 monomer A to the prodomain (light blue-violet) of pro-TIG-2 monomer B are shown as gold dashed lines. As is true for the mature form, the TIG-3 homodimer procomplex (not shown) has significantly lower multimer metrics (pLDDT: 66.5, pTM: 0.354, ipTM: 0.281) and thus a reduced predicted likelihood to homodimerize. (B) The TIG-2/TIG-3 procomplex adopts an asymmetric conformation, with pro-TIG-2 forming an open-arm conformation and pro-TIG-3 (prodomain in green-cyan, mature domain in gray-beige) presenting a crossed-arm conformation. Pro-TIG-2 contains no prodomain cysteines (S4A Fig) and hence is not prodomain disulfide linked to pro-TIG-3. The only two cysteines in the TIG-3 prodomain (S4A Fig) are paired in an intra-prodomain 60–70 disulfide bond (solid gold line). The enlarged upper panel corresponds to the upper-left dashed box following rotation to emphasize the interchain residue contacts resulting from the prodomain of pro-TIG-3 (green-cyan) crossing over to interact with the prodomain of pro-TIG-2 (blue-violet). Similarly to A, the right panel corresponds to the lower-right gray dashed box and features interchain residue contacts between the mature domain of pro-TIG-2 (khaki) and the prodomain of pro-TIG-3 (green-cyan). (C) A comparison of interchain residue contacts in TIG-2/TIG-2 (blue-violet diamonds) and TIG-2/TIG-3 (green-cyan diamonds) procomplexes between combinatorial interacting monomer regions (full: full-length domain, pro: prodomain, mat: mature domain) plotted with their predicted aligned error value and column mean (black horizontal line). For example, the column TIG-2(full) to TIG-3(full) contains all interchain residue contacts between pro-TIG-2 and pro-TIG-3. Correspondingly, the column TIG-2(mat) to TIG-3(pro) includes all interchain residue contacts between the mature domain of pro-TIG-2 to the prodomain of pro-TIG-3. The TIG-2/TIG-3 procomplex compares similarly to the TIG-2/TIG-2 procomplex with respect to full-length to full-length (columns 1 and 2), mature domain to prodomain (columns 7 and 8), and mature domain to mature domain contacts (columns 9 and 10).
Fig 7 AlphaFold2-Multimer Structural Modeling of TIG-2/TIG-2 and TIG-2/TIG-3 Procomplexes. (A) The TIG-2/TIG-2 procomplex exhibits a symmetric open-arm conformation with monomer A in blue-violet (prodomain) and khaki (mature domain) and monomer B in light blue-violet (prodomain) and dark khaki (mature domain). The right panel is the magnified and rotated area defined by the gray dashed box in the left panel. Interchain residue contacts between the mature domain (khaki) of pro-TIG-2 monomer A to the prodomain (light blue-violet) of pro-TIG-2 monomer B are shown as gold dashed lines. As is true for the mature form, the TIG-3 homodimer procomplex (not shown) has significantly lower multimer metrics (pLDDT: 66.5, pTM: 0.354, ipTM: 0.281) and thus a reduced predicted likelihood to homodimerize. (B) The TIG-2/TIG-3 procomplex adopts an asymmetric conformation, with pro-TIG-2 forming an open-arm conformation and pro-TIG-3 (prodomain in green-cyan, mature domain in gray-beige) presenting a crossed-arm conformation. Pro-TIG-2 contains no prodomain cysteines (S4A Fig) and hence is not prodomain disulfide linked to pro-TIG-3. The only two cysteines in the TIG-3 prodomain (S4A Fig) are paired in an intra-prodomain 60–70 disulfide bond (solid gold line). The enlarged upper panel corresponds to the upper-left dashed box following rotation to emphasize the interchain residue contacts resulting from the prodomain of pro-TIG-3 (green-cyan) crossing over to interact with the prodomain of pro-TIG-2 (blue-violet). Similarly to A, the right panel corresponds to the lower-right gray dashed box and features interchain residue contacts between the mature domain of pro-TIG-2 (khaki) and the prodomain of pro-TIG-3 (green-cyan). (C) A comparison of interchain residue contacts in TIG-2/TIG-2 (blue-violet diamonds) and TIG-2/TIG-3 (green-cyan diamonds) procomplexes between combinatorial interacting monomer regions (full: full-length domain, pro: prodomain, mat: mature domain) plotted with their predicted aligned error value and column mean (black horizontal line). For example, the column TIG-2(full) to TIG-3(full) contains all interchain residue contacts between pro-TIG-2 and pro-TIG-3. Correspondingly, the column TIG-2(mat) to TIG-3(pro) includes all interchain residue contacts between the mature domain of pro-TIG-2 to the prodomain of pro-TIG-3. The TIG-2/TIG-3 procomplex compares similarly to the TIG-2/TIG-2 procomplex with respect to full-length to full-length (columns 1 and 2), mature domain to prodomain (columns 7 and 8), and mature domain to mature domain contacts (columns 9 and 10).CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

Cites

Show all 67 references

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. J. Massagué, 2008, TGFbeta in Cancer. Cell, 134, 215
  2. GI Patterson, 2000, TGF beta-related pathways. Roles in Caenorhabditis elegans development, Trends Genet, 16, 27

Metadata

Authors
Ciccarelli, E. J., Wing, Z., Bendelstein, M., Johal, R. K., Singh, G., Monas, A., & Savage-Dunn, C.
Affiliations
Queens College, CUNY (US)
ORCID
Savage-Dunn, Cathy
Venue
PLOS Genetics
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2024-06-14
Volume
20
Issue
6
Pages
e1011324
ISSN
  • 1553-7390 (ISSN-L)
  • 1553-7404
DOI
10.1371/journal.pgen.1011324
PMC
PMC11210861
OpenAlex
W4399666038
Cited by
7
References
67
Citations by year
2025: 4 · 2024: 2
FWCI
0.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
new_version (2024-06-27)
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS Genetics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R15GM112147)
  • National Institute on Aging (R21AG075315)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › TGF-β signaling in diseases
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune Response and Inflammation
Keywords
TGF-beta ligands, Caenorhabditis elegans, innate immunity, DBL-1, BMP signaling, TGF-beta/activin signaling, daf-7, Smad signaling

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

How to cite

Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.

This page
CoChat. (2026). Citation check: TGF-β ligand cross-subfamily interactions in the response of Caenorhabditis elegans to a bacterial pathogen. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011324
The paper
Ciccarelli, E. J., Wing, Z., Bendelstein, M., Johal, R. K., Singh, G., Monas, A., & Savage-Dunn, C. (2024). TGF-β ligand cross-subfamily interactions in the response of Caenorhabditis elegans to a bacterial pathogen. PLOS Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1011324

Data sources

Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.