{"gene":"PBANKA_1429000","run_date":"2026-09-08T16:26:55","timeline":{"discoveries":[{"year":2024,"finding":"MED18 (a mediator of RNA polymerase II) was identified as part of the nuclear interaction network of PfSET10 in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites, detected by TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry. This establishes MED18's membership in a chromatin modulation complex in the nucleus, but no further mechanistic detail about MED18 itself was reported.","method":"TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry (interactome screen)","journal":"mSphere","confidence":"Low","confidence_rationale":"Tier 3 / Weak — single proximity-labeling screen identifying MED18 as an interactor of PfSET10; no functional characterization of MED18 itself, single method, single lab","pmids":["39445823"],"is_preprint":false,"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]}],"current_model":"Beyond its identification as a putative mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription (MED18/PBANKA_1429000), the only experimentally established finding is that its P. falciparum ortholog appears in the nuclear proximity-interaction network of the histone methyltransferase PfSET10 during blood-stage development; no direct functional or mechanistic characterization of MED18 itself has been reported in the available literature."},"narrative":{"mechanistic_narrative":"PBANKA_1429000 (MED18) is annotated as a putative mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription, but the available corpus establishes no direct functional characterization of the protein itself. The single on-target finding places its P. falciparum ortholog within the nuclear proximity-interaction network of the histone methyltransferase PfSET10 during blood-stage development, detected by TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry [PMID:39445823]. This positions MED18 in a nuclear chromatin-associated environment but does not define its molecular activity, transcriptional targets, or role within any Mediator complex. Beyond [PMID:39445823], no mechanistic detail about MED18 has been characterized in the available corpus.","teleology":[{"year":2024,"claim":"Whether MED18 associates with chromatin-modulating machinery in the malaria parasite nucleus was unknown; a proximity-interactome screen placed it near a histone methyltransferase, establishing its nuclear, chromatin-proximal context.","evidence":"TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites, identifying MED18 in the PfSET10 interaction network","pmids":["39445823"],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["Single proximity-labeling screen with no functional validation of MED18 itself; proximity does not establish direct interaction","No evidence of MED18's molecular activity, transcriptional targets, or Mediator complex membership","Shown for the P. falciparum ortholog, not directly for PBANKA_1429000 in P. berghei"],"attribution":[{"species":"Plasmodium falciparum","strain":""}]},{"year":null,"claim":"The direct molecular function of MED18, its role within RNA polymerase II transcription, its physical binding partners, and any phenotypic consequence of its loss remain uncharacterized.","evidence":"","pmids":[],"confidence":"Low","gaps":["No functional or genetic study of MED18 has been reported","No structural or biochemical evidence of Mediator complex membership","No determination of transcriptional targets or developmental role"],"attribution":[]}],"mechanism_profile":{"molecular_activity":[],"localization":[],"pathway":[],"complexes":[],"partners":["PFSET10 (PROXIMITY-LABELING INTERACTOR OF THE P. FALCIPARUM ORTHOLOG)"],"other_free_text":["Identified only as a member of the nuclear proximity-interaction network of the histone methyltransferase PfSET10 in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites; no direct functional characterization of PBANKA_1429000/MED18 itself is available.","Annotated as a putative mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription, but this annotation is not supported by experimental evidence in the corpus."]}},"prefetch_data":{},"corpus_meta":[{"pmid":"4971014","id":"PMC_4971014","title":"DNA, RNA , and protein synthesis in erythrocytic forms of Plasmodium knowlesi.","date":"1968","source":"The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4971014","citation_count":56,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pb"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["RNA"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false},{"pmid":"39445823","id":"","title":"The Plasmodium falciparum histone methyltransferase SET10 participates in a chromatin modulation network crucial for intraerythrocytic development.","date":"2024","source":"mSphere","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39445823","citation_count":0,"is_preprint":false,"source_species":["Pf"],"role":"primary","match_terms":["MED18"],"competing_organism_flag":false,"competing_organism_match":"","competing_organism_only":false}],"cost":{"stage1":{"model":"claude-sonnet-4-6","input_tokens":3761,"output_tokens":391,"usd":0.008574,"stage1_stop_reason":"end_turn"},"stage2":{"model":"claude-opus-4-8","input_tokens":4889,"output_tokens":1095,"usd":0.02591,"stage2_stop_reason":"end_turn"},"total_usd":0.034484,"stage1_batch_id":"msgbatch_01NE1MTa8x1hW7Lo4tAaNzY1","stage2_batch_id":"msgbatch_0141vaQdeFvbo2q39AinvXM9","note":"batch pricing = 50% of standard"},"stage1_raw":"```json\n{\n  \"discoveries\": [\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"finding\": \"MED18 (a mediator of RNA polymerase II) was identified as part of the nuclear interaction network of PfSET10 in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites, detected by TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry. This establishes MED18's membership in a chromatin modulation complex in the nucleus, but no further mechanistic detail about MED18 itself was reported.\",\n      \"method\": \"TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry (interactome screen)\",\n      \"journal\": \"mSphere\",\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"confidence_rationale\": \"Tier 3 / Weak — single proximity-labeling screen identifying MED18 as an interactor of PfSET10; no functional characterization of MED18 itself, single method, single lab\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"39445823\"],\n      \"is_preprint\": false,\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    }\n  ],\n  \"current_model\": \"Beyond its identification as a putative mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription (MED18/PBANKA_1429000), the only experimentally established finding is that its P. falciparum ortholog appears in the nuclear proximity-interaction network of the histone methyltransferase PfSET10 during blood-stage development; no direct functional or mechanistic characterization of MED18 itself has been reported in the available literature.\"\n}\n```","stage2_raw":"{\n  \"mechanistic_narrative\": \"PBANKA_1429000 (MED18) is annotated as a putative mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription, but the available corpus establishes no direct functional characterization of the protein itself. The single on-target finding places its P. falciparum ortholog within the nuclear proximity-interaction network of the histone methyltransferase PfSET10 during blood-stage development, detected by TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry [#0]. This positions MED18 in a nuclear chromatin-associated environment but does not define its molecular activity, transcriptional targets, or role within any Mediator complex. Beyond [#0], no mechanistic detail about MED18 has been characterized in the available corpus.\",\n  \"teleology\": [\n    {\n      \"year\": 2024,\n      \"claim\": \"Whether MED18 associates with chromatin-modulating machinery in the malaria parasite nucleus was unknown; a proximity-interactome screen placed it near a histone methyltransferase, establishing its nuclear, chromatin-proximal context.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"TurboID proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites, identifying MED18 in the PfSET10 interaction network\",\n      \"pmids\": [\"39445823\"],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"Single proximity-labeling screen with no functional validation of MED18 itself; proximity does not establish direct interaction\",\n        \"No evidence of MED18's molecular activity, transcriptional targets, or Mediator complex membership\",\n        \"Shown for the P. falciparum ortholog, not directly for PBANKA_1429000 in P. berghei\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": [\n        {\"species\": \"Plasmodium falciparum\", \"strain\": \"\"}\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"year\": null,\n      \"claim\": \"The direct molecular function of MED18, its role within RNA polymerase II transcription, its physical binding partners, and any phenotypic consequence of its loss remain uncharacterized.\",\n      \"evidence\": \"\",\n      \"pmids\": [],\n      \"confidence\": \"Low\",\n      \"gaps\": [\n        \"No functional or genetic study of MED18 has been reported\",\n        \"No structural or biochemical evidence of Mediator complex membership\",\n        \"No determination of transcriptional targets or developmental role\"\n      ],\n      \"attribution\": []\n    }\n  ],\n  \"mechanism_profile\": {\n    \"molecular_activity\": [],\n    \"localization\": [\n      {\"term_id\": \"GO:0005634\", \"supporting_discovery_ids\": [0]}\n    ],\n    \"pathway\": [],\n    \"complexes\": [],\n    \"partners\": [\"PfSET10 (proximity-labeling interactor of the P. falciparum ortholog)\"],\n    \"other_free_text\": [\n      \"Identified only as a member of the nuclear proximity-interaction network of the histone methyltransferase PfSET10 in P. falciparum blood-stage parasites; no direct functional characterization of PBANKA_1429000/MED18 itself is available.\",\n      \"Annotated as a putative mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription, but this annotation is not supported by experimental evidence in the corpus.\"\n    ]\n  }\n}","audit_flag":{"gene":"PBANKA_1429000","tier":"GROUNDING","verdict":"Evidence-grounding concern","subtype":"uncited_synthesis","uniprot_band":"empty","rules_fired":"R8,R12","issue":"R8: 2/3 claims uncited (67%) | No cited paper names this card; 1 of 1 cited papers name other catalogue genes (PF3D7_0624600, PF3D7_0925700, PF3D7_1221000). The summary may describe one of those genes."},"strains":[{"strain":"PbANKA","gene_id":"PBANKA_1429000","name":null,"product":"mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 18, putative","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":null,"start_pos":null},{"strain":"PkH","gene_id":"PKNH_1432500","name":null,"product":"mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 18, putative","uniprot_acc":null,"chromosome":null,"start_pos":null}],"gene_symbol":"MED18","evaluation":null}