Systems Analysis Implicates WAVE2 Complex in the Pathogenesis of Developmental Left-Sided Obstructive Heart Defects.

Genetic variants are the primary driver of congenital heart disease (CHD) pathogenesis. However, our ability to identify causative variants is limited. To identify causal CHD genes that are associated with specific molecular functions, the study used prior knowledge to filter de novo variants from 2,881 probands with sporadic severe CHD. This approach enabled the authors to identify an association between left ventricular outflow tract obstruction lesions and genes associated with the WAVE2 complex and regulation of small GTPase-mediated signal transduction. Using CRISPR zebrafish knockdowns, the study confirmed that WAVE2 complex proteins brk1, nckap1, and wasf2 and the regulators of small GTPase signaling cul3a and racgap1 are critical to cardiac development

STRUCTURE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE AURICULARIA LARVA OF PARASTICOPUS CALIFORNICUS

Volume: 170Start Page: 450End Page: 46

Direct Development in the Sea Urchin Phyllacanthus parvispinus (Cidaroidea): Phylogenetic History and Functional Modification

Volume: 177Start Page: 96End Page: 10

Baf60c is a nuclear Notch signaling component required for the establishment of left–right asymmetry

Notch-mediated induction of Nodal at the vertebrate node is a critical step in initiating left–right (LR) asymmetry. In mice and zebrafish we show that Baf60c, a subunit of the Swi/Snf-like BAF chromatin remodeling complex, is essential for establishment of LR asymmetry. Baf60c knockdown mouse embryos fail to activate Nodal at the node and also have abnormal node morphology with mixing of crown and pit cells. In cell culture, Baf60c is required for Notch-dependent transcriptional activation and functions to stabilize interactions between activated Notch and its DNA-binding partner, RBP-J. Brg1 is also required for these processes, suggesting that BAF complexes are key components of nuclear Notch signaling. We propose a critical role for Baf60c in Notch-dependent transcription and LR asymmetry

Systems Analysis Implicates WAVE2 Complex in the Pathogenesis of Developmental Left-Sided Obstructive Heart Defects.

Genetic variants are the primary driver of congenital heart disease (CHD) pathogenesis. However, our ability to identify causative variants is limited. To identify causal CHD genes that are associated with specific molecular functions, the study used prior knowledge to filter de novo variants from 2,881 probands with sporadic severe CHD. This approach enabled the authors to identify an association between left ventricular outflow tract obstruction lesions and genes associated with the WAVE2 complex and regulation of small GTPase-mediated signal transduction. Using CRISPR zebrafish knockdowns, the study confirmed that WAVE2 complex proteins brk1, nckap1, and wasf2 and the regulators of small GTPase signaling cul3a and racgap1 are critical to cardiac development