Inhibition of cardiomyocyte neddylation impairs embryonic cardiac morphogenesis

Heart development is a complex spatiotemporal process involving a series of orchestrated morphogenic events that result in the formation of an efficient pumping organ. How posttranslational mechanisms regulate heart development remains poorly understood. Therefore, we investigate how neddylation, the attachment of NEDD8 to target proteins, coordinates cardiogenesis. Abrogation of neddylation by deleting Nae1 in the heart via Sm22α^Cre led to early embryonic lethality. Mutant hearts exhibited deficits in trabeculation and expansion of the compact layer due to reduced cardiomyocyte proliferation, which was linked to abnormal Notch signaling in the developing heart. Overall, our findings demonstrate an essential role for neddylation in cardiogenesis.