Establishment and preliminary mechanism study of the zebrafish strain of KIAA0196: A candidate pathogenic gene for heart development

Abstract

To explore the effects of KIAA0196 gene on cardiac development and the establishment of zebrafish strain. Methods: Peripheral blood and gDNA from patients were extracted. Copy number variation analysis and target sequencing were conducted to screen candidate genes. The KIAA0196 knockout zebrafish was generated by CRISPR/Cas9 to detect whether KIAA0196 deficiency could affect cardiac development. Finally, the wild-type and mutant zebrafish were anatomized and histologically stained to observe the phenotype of heart defects. Results: The KIAA0196 knockout zebrafish strain was successfully constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. After 60 hours fertilization, microscopic examination of KIAA0196 knockout zebrafish (heterozygote + homozygote) showed pericardial effusion, cardiac compression and severely curly tail. Compared with wild-type zebrafish, the hearts of mutant KIAA0196 zebrafish had cardiac defects including smaller atrium and larger ventricle, and the myocardial cells were looser. Conclusion: KIAA0196 gene plays an important regulatory role in the development of heart. It might be a candidate gene for congenital heart disease.