Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40234890›Full record

ArticleOrphanet journal of rare diseases2025

Transcriptome analysis of atad3-null zebrafish embryos elucidates possible disease mechanisms.

Shlomit Ezer, Nathan Ronin, Shira Yanovsky-Dagan, Shahar Rotem-Bamberger, Orli Halstuk, Yair Wexler, Zohar Ben-Moshe, Inbar Plaschkes, Hadar Benyamini, Ann Saada and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Allele-specific antisense oligonucleotide treatment rescuesbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Shlomit EzerDepartment of Genetics, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel.
Nathan RoninDepartment of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research-Israel-Canada, Jerusalem, Israel.
Shira Yanovsky-DaganDepartment of Genetics, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel.
Shahar Rotem-BambergerDepartment of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research-Israel-Canada, Jerusalem, Israel.
Orli HalstukDepartment of Genetics, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel.
Yair WexlerDepartment of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Zohar Ben-MosheDepartment of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Inbar PlaschkesInfo-CORE, Bioinformatics Unit of the I-CORE, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Hadar BenyaminiInfo-CORE, Bioinformatics Unit of the I-CORE, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Ann SaadaDepartment of Genetics, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel.
Adi InbalDepartment of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research-Israel-Canada, Jerusalem, Israel.
Tamar HarelDepartment of Genetics, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel. tamarhe@hadassah.org.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3595-7075

Funding

Israel Science Foundation 1663/17Israel Science Foundation 3260/21
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundATAD3A, a nuclear gene encoding the ATAD3A protein, has diverse roles in mitochondrial processes, encompassing mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial DNA maintenance, metabolic pathways and inter-organellar interactions. Pathogenic variants in this gene cause neurological diseases in humans with recognizable genotype-phenotype correlations. Yet, gaps in knowledge remain regarding the underlying pathogenesis.

methodsTo further investigate the gene function and its implication in health and disease, we utilized CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to generate a knockout model of the zebrafish ortholog gene, atad3. We characterized the phenotype of the null model, performed mitochondrial and functional tests, and compared the transcriptome of null embryos to their healthy siblings.

resultsAnalysis of atad3-null zebrafish embryos revealed microcephaly, small eyes, pericardial edema and musculature thinning, closely mirroring the human rare disease phenotype. Larvae exhibited delayed hatching and embryonic lethality by 13 days post-fertilization (dpf). Locomotor activity, ATP content, mitochondrial content, and mitochondrial activity were all reduced in the mutant embryos. Transcriptome analysis at 3 dpf via RNA-sequencing indicated decline in most mitochondrial pathways, accompanied by a global upregulation of cytosolic tRNA synthetases, presumably secondary to mitochondrial stress and possibly endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress. Differential expression of select genes was corroborated in fibroblasts from an affected individual.

conclusionsThe atad3-null zebrafish model emerges as a reliable representation of human ATAD3A-associated disorders, with similarities in differentially expressed pathways and processes. Furthermore, our study underscores mitochondrial dysfunction as the primary underlying pathogenic mechanism in ATAD3A-associated disorders and identifies potential readouts for therapeutic studies.

Indexed as

ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular ActivitiesMitochondrial ProteinsZebrafish ProteinsAnimalsEmbryo, NonmammalianGene Expression ProfilingHumansMitochondriaTranscriptomeZebrafishATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular ActivitiesMitochondrial ProteinsZebrafish ProteinsATAD3ACRISPR/Cas9MitochondriaRNA-seqTranscriptomeZebrafish knockout model

Identifiers

PMID40234890
PMCPMC12001410

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.