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De Franco E, Owens NDL, Montaser H, Wakeling MN, Saarimäki-Vire J, Triantou A, Ibrahim H, Balboa D, Caswell RC, Jennings RE, Kvist JA, Johnson MB, Muralidharan S, Ellard S, Wright CF, Maddirevula S, Alkuraya FS, Hanley NA, Flanagan SE, Otonkoski T, Hattersley AT, Imbeault M. Primate-specific ZNF808 is essential for pancreatic development in humans. Nat Genet 2023; 55:2075-2081. [PMID: 37973953 PMCID: PMC10703691 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01565-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Identifying genes linked to extreme phenotypes in humans has the potential to highlight biological processes not shared with all other mammals. Here, we report the identification of homozygous loss-of-function variants in the primate-specific gene ZNF808 as a cause of pancreatic agenesis. ZNF808 is a member of the KRAB zinc finger protein family, a large and rapidly evolving group of epigenetic silencers which target transposable elements. We show that loss of ZNF808 in vitro results in aberrant activation of regulatory potential contained in the primate-specific transposable elements it represses during early pancreas development. This leads to inappropriate specification of cell fate with induction of genes associated with liver identity. Our results highlight the essential role of ZNF808 in pancreatic development in humans and the contribution of primate-specific regions of the human genome to congenital developmental disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa De Franco
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Nick D L Owens
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Hossam Montaser
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthew N Wakeling
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Jonna Saarimäki-Vire
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Athina Triantou
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hazem Ibrahim
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Diego Balboa
- Regulatory Genomics and Diabetes, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Richard C Caswell
- Genomics Laboratory, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - Rachel E Jennings
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Gastroenterology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Endocrinology Department, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Jouni A Kvist
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthew B Johnson
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Sachin Muralidharan
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sian Ellard
- Genomics Laboratory, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - Caroline F Wright
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Sateesh Maddirevula
- Department of Translational Genomics, Center for Genomic Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fowzan S Alkuraya
- Department of Translational Genomics, Center for Genomic Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Neil A Hanley
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Gastroenterology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Endocrinology Department, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Sarah E Flanagan
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Timo Otonkoski
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Andrew T Hattersley
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK.
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