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Morotti, Stefano

0000-0001-8679-665X

A5077580168 | I84218800

Mayo Clinic

University of California, Davis

Citations 2

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

No container title available | November 8, 2022 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.7554/elife.77327.sa2

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

eLife | October 18, 2022 | Volume: 11 | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available

10.7554/elife.77327 | PMID 36255053

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 cells that partially overlaps with the expression of hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide gated channel 4 (HCN4), supporting heterogeneity of the cardiac pacemaker cells.