The Role of Sorting Nexin 17 in Cardiac Development

Homozygous deletion of the SNX17 gene in rats resulted in mid-gestational embryonic lethality which was accompanied by congenital heart defects, including in the double-outlet right ventricle, atrioventricular and ventricular septal defects. To elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying development of cardiac OFT defects induced by SNX17 knockout, we performed RNA-seq analysis in cardiac outflow tract (OFT) tissues isolated from WT and HO embryos at E13.5. A total of 262 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between WT and HO samples, of which 94 and 168 were up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. Analysis of biological functions of the DEGs, via Gene Ontology (GO), revealed that the up-regulated genes were mainly involved in heart development, and negative regulation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, while the down-regulated DEGs were associated with cell adhesion, extracellular organization, and negative regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway. RNA-seq analysis in cardiac OFT tissues isolated from WT and HO embryos at E13.5.