This report describes a Drosophila model used to characterize the roles of components of the CCR4-NOT complex in the development of cardiac dysfunction. The CCR4-NOT complex contributes to regulation of RNA metabolism at all steps, including transcription, mRNA stability, and eventual degradation in the cytoplasm. See FBgg0000469 for information on the component genes of the Drosophila CCR4-NOT complex. This report concentrates on work done using Drosophila genes Not1, ortholog of human CNOT1, and Pop2, ortholog of human CNOT7 and CNOT8.
CNOT1 has been recently associated with a newly described disease, Vissers-Bodmer syndrome (see FBhh0001252). Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations are implicated in development of this disease. Multiple UAS constructs of the human Hsap\CNOT1 gene have been introduced into flies; most carry variants implicated in Vissers-Bodmer syndrome.
The role of CNOT3 in the development of cardiac dysfunction has been the subject of a previous study in Drosophila; see the human disease model report 'dilated cardiomyopathy (postulated), CNOT3-related' (FBhh0000739).
Using a heart-specific driver that acts throughout development, knockdown of either Dmel\Not1 or Dmel\Pop2 results in an array of adult cardiac phenotypes including cardiac dilation, reduced contractility, and a propensity for arrythmia; myofibrillar structural abnormalities are observed. In the case of Not1, the adult hearts are extremely fragile, which limits experimental manipulations. In the case of Pop2, initial experiments resulted in pupal lethality; animals survive to adulthood with a lower level of RNAi-effected knockdown, allowing assessment of adult cardiac phenotypes.
Phenotypes observed using Dmel\Rga (ortholog of human CNOT2), Dmel\Cnot4 (ortholog of human CNOT4) and Dmel\twin (ortholog of human CNOT6 and CNOT6L) suggest less critical roles in heart development for these genes.
[updated Oct. 2020 by FlyBase; FBrf0222196]
Two conserved catalytic functions are associated with the CCR4-NOT complex, deadenylation and ubiquitination (Collart and Panasenko, 2017; pubmed:28271483).
The CCR4-NOT complex is a multisubunit protein complex that is conserved in all eukaryotes and contributes to regulation of RNA metabolism at all steps, from synthesis to degradation in the cytoplasm (Collart, 2016; pubmed:26821858).
One to one: 1 human gene to 1 Drosophila gene.
Many to one: 2 human genes to 2 Drosophila gene.
Many to one: 2 human gene to 2 Drosophila gene.
High-scoring ortholog of human CNOT1 (1 Drosophila to 1 human). Dmel\Not1 shares 46% identity and 62% similarity with the human gene.
High-scoring ortholog of human CNOT7 and CNOT8 (1 Drosophila to 2 human). Dmel\Pop2 shares 56-68% identity and 68-84% similarity with the human genes.