This report describes Guillouet-Gordon syndrome, an autosomal recessive disorder with multiple congenital anomalies and impaired intellectual development. The human gene implicated is MED16, which encodes Mediator complex subunit 16, a transcription coactivator that participates in RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription. There is one high-scoring fly ortholog, Dmel\MED16, for which multiple genetic reagents, including classical alleles, RNAi-targeting constructs, alleles caused by insertional mutagenesis have been generated, and alleles representing disease-implicated variants have been generated.
The human gene MED16 has not been introduced into flies.
Hemizygous null alleles of Dmel\MED16 exhibit a mild decrease in eclosion rate at 29[o]C but not 22[o]C. This phenotype is rescued by overexpression of wild-type Dmel\MED16, but not by transgenic alleles bearing a disease-implicated variant likely to represent a full loss of function in human patients. Survivors expressing either disease-implicated variant exhibit shortened lifespans.
[updated Aug. 2026 by FlyBase; FBrf0222196]
[GUILLOUET-GORDON SYNDROME; GGNS](https://omim.org/entry/621220)
[MEDIATOR COMPLEX SUBUNIT 16; MED16](https://omim.org/entry/604062)
Guillouet-Gordon syndrome (GGNS) is an autosomal recessive disorder with multiple congenital anomalies and impaired intellectual development. Intellectual disability, speech delay, and motor delay of variably severity are constant features and are associated with variable combinations of craniofacial defects, anomalies of the extremities, and heart defects (summary by Guillouet et al., 2025, pubmed:40081376). [from MIM:621220; 2026.08.05]
Guillouet-Gordon syndrome (GGNS) is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutation in the MED16 gene on chromosome 19p13. [from MIM:621220; 2026.08.05]
MED16 encodes Mediator complex subunit 16, a transcription coactivator that participates in RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription. It enables nuclear thyroid hormone receptor binding activity and functions within the core Mediator complex, linking transcriptional regulation to gene expression. The protein localizes to the nucleus, nucleoplasm, and nucleolus, with additional localization reported at membranes. (GeneCards)
One to one (1 human to 1 Drosophila); WDR45 has one high-scoring Drosophila ortholog, MED16.
High-scoring ortholog of human MED16 (1 Drosophila to 1 human).