This report describes a Drosophila model using the fly gene brm to model intellectual developmental disorder(s) caused by disruption of SWI/SNF complexes. Multiple genes within the SWI/SNF family have been implicated in a form of syndromic intellectual disability designated Coffin-Siris syndrome (see FBhh0001088). Dmel\brm encodes a core component of some SWI/SNF complexes; these complexes regulate transcription via chromatin remodeling. Classical amorphic and hypomorphic alleles, RNAi-targeting constructs, and alleles caused by insertional mutagenesis have been generated for brm.
There are two genes orthologous to Dmel\brm in human, SMARCA2 and SMARCA4, both of which are implicated in syndromes that include intellectual disability (see FBhh0001093 and FBhh0001096). A UAS construct of the wild-type human Hsap\SMARCA2 gene has been introduced into flies, but has not been characterized. SMARCA4 has not been introduced into flies.
Animals homozygous for loss-of-function mutations of brm die during the embryonic stage. RNAi-targeted knockdown of brm in the mushroom body (a brain region associated with learning and memory) causes male flies not to reduce courtship attempts after being rejected by a female, a measure of memory formation in flies. Both short-term and long-term memory impairment are observed. Defects in mushroom body morphology are observed, including reduced survival of MBγ axons during aging. Many physical and genetic interactions have been reported for Dmel\brm; see below and in the brm gene report.
[updated Apr. 2020 by FlyBase; FBrf0222196]
SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 encode members of the SWI/SNF family; members of this family have helicase and ATPase activities and are thought to regulate transcription of certain genes by localized chromatin remodeling (alteration of DNA-nucleosome topology). [Gene Cards, SMARCA2, SMARCA4; 2019.07.22]
Many to one: 2 human to 1 Drosophila.
Many to one: 2 human to 1 Drosophila.
High-scoring ortholog of human SMARCA2 and SMARCA4 (1 Drosophila to 2 human). Dmel\brm shares 50-51% identity and 62-63% similarity with the human genes.