The Whsc2/NelfA -dependent transcription complex is required for postnatal cardiac development and heart function

Cardiac malformations and ventricular remodeling due to heart diseases result in compromised cardiac function, eventually leading to heart failure. In this study, we examine the role of cardiac Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome candidate 2 (Whsc2), also known as Negative elongation factor A (NELFA), one of the genes encoded in the WHS critical region. The Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome is a contiguous genetic disorder due to microdeletions in the critical region, with clinical manifestations of neurological defects frequently associated with congenital malformations, including cardiac defects. NelfA has been implicated in RNA polymerase II (pol II) pausing, suggesting a role in pol II-dependent gene transcription. We previously reported an early onset of heart failure with the acute knockdown of NelfA in hearts undergoing pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Here, we characterize a mouse model with cardiomyocyte-specific loss of NelfA function, in which these mice develop spontaneous cardiomyopathy at 2 months of age and exhibit early mortality by 3 months, suggesting a critical role for postnatal NelfA in the heart. Interactome data show that chromatin-bound NelfA interacts with proteins involved in chromatin remodeling (Trim28) and pre-mRNA processing (Adrph1l), along with expected binding partners like RNA pol II, Supt5, and other Nelf proteins. Examination of genomic occupancy of these NelfA-associated proteins in the NelfA knockout (KO) hearts reveals a disassembly of the NelfA nucleated complex at promoters of cardiac-enriched genes, including cytoskeletal and metabolic genes. This deconstruction of the NelfA-dependent complex results in the inhibited expression of these essential genes during postnatal cardiac development, leading to a cardiac contractile and metabolic crisis that precipitates dilated cardiomyopathy.