RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fragile X mental retardation protein regulates trans-synaptic signaling
JF Disease Models & Mechanisms
JO Dis Models Mech
FD The Company of Biologists Limited
SP dmm.012229
DO 10.1242/dmm.012229
A1 Friedman, Samuel H.
A1 Dani, Neil
A1 Rushton, Emma
A1 Broadie, Kendal
YR 2013
UL http://dmm.biologists.org/content/early/2013/09/04/dmm.012229.abstract
AB Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited determinant of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders, is caused by loss of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) gene product (FMRP), an mRNA-binding translational repressor. A number of conserved FMRP targets have been identified in the well-characterized Drosophila FXS disease model, but FMRP is highly pleiotropic in function and the full spectrum of FMRP targets has yet to be revealed. In this study, screens for upregulated neural proteins in Drosophila fmr1 (dfmr1) null mutants reveal strong elevation of two synaptic heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs): GPI-anchored glypican Dally-like Protein (Dlp) and transmembrane Syndecan (Sdc). Our recent work has shown that Dlp and Sdc act as co-receptors regulating extracellular ligands upstream of intracellular signal transduction in multiple trans-synaptic pathways driving synaptogenesis. Consistently, dfmr1 null synapses exhibit altered WNT signaling, with changes in both Wingless (Wg) ligand abundance and downstream Frizzled-2 (Fz2) receptor C-terminal nuclear import. Similarly, a parallel anterograde signaling ligand, Jelly Belly (Jeb), and downstream ERK phosphorylation (dpERK), are depressed at dfmr1 null synapses. In contrast, the retrograde BMP ligand Glass Bottom Boat (Gbb) and downstream signaling via transcription factor MAD phosphorylation (pMAD) appear not affected. To determine whether HSPG upregulation is causative for synaptogenic defects, HSPGs were genetically reduced to control levels in the dfmr1 null background. HSPG correction restored both 1) Wg and Jeb trans-synaptic signaling, and 2) synaptic architecture and transmission strength back to wildtype levels. Taken together, these data suggest that FMRP negatively regulates HSPG co-receptors controlling trans-synaptic signaling during synaptogenesis, and that loss of this regulation causes synaptic structure and function defects characterizing the FXS disease state.