PUBLICATION

A phenotype-based forward genetic screen identifies Dnajb6 as a sick sinus syndrome gene

Authors
Ding, Y., Lang, D., Yan, J., Bu, H., Li, H., Jiao, K., Yang, J., Ni, H., Morotti, S., Le, T., Clark, K.J., Port, J., Ekker, S.C., Cao, H., Zhang, Y., Wang, J., Grandi, E., Li, Z., Shi, Y., Li, Y., Glukhov, A.V., Xu, X.
ID
ZDB-PUB-221019-4
Date
2022
Source
eLIFE   11: (Journal)
Registered Authors
Clark, Karl, Ding, Yonghe, Ekker, Stephen C., Xu, Xiaolei, Yang, Jingchun
Keywords
genetics, genomics, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac/metabolism
  • Electrocardiography/adverse effects
  • HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics
  • Humans
  • Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels/metabolism
  • Mice
  • Molecular Chaperones/metabolism
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Sick Sinus Syndrome*/genetics
  • Sinoatrial Node/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
PubMed
36255053 Full text @ Elife
Abstract
Previously we showed the generation of a protein trap library made with the gene-break transposon (GBT) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) that could be used to facilitate novel functional genome annotation towards understanding molecular underpinnings of human diseases (Ichino et al, 2020). Here, we report a significant application of this library for discovering essential genes for heart rhythm disorders such as sick sinus syndrome (SSS). SSS is a group of heart rhythm disorders caused by malfunction of the sinus node, the heart's primary pacemaker. Partially owing to its aging-associated phenotypic manifestation and low expressivity, molecular mechanisms of SSS remain difficult to decipher. From 609 GBT lines screened, we generated a collection of 35 zebrafish insertional cardiac (ZIC) mutants in which each mutant traps a gene with cardiac expression. We further employed electrocardiographic measurements to screen these 35 ZIC lines and identified three GBT mutants with SSS-like phenotypes. More detailed functional studies on one of the arrhythmogenic mutants, GBT411, in both zebrafish and mouse models unveiled Dnajb6 as a novel SSS causative gene with a unique expression pattern within the subpopulation of sinus node pacemaker cardiomyocytes that partially overlaps with the expression of hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide gated channel 4 (Hcn4), supporting heterogeneity of the cardiac pacemaker cells.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping