A Drosophila model of Fragile X syndrome exhibits defects in phagocytosis by innate immune cells

Fragile X syndrome, the most common known monogenic cause of autism, results from the loss of FMR1, a conserved, ubiquitously expressed RNA-binding protein. Recent evidence suggests that Fragile X syndrome and other types of autism are associated with immune system defects. We found that Drosophila melanogaster Fmr1 mutants exhibit increased sensitivity to bacterial infection and decreased phagocytosis of bacteria by systemic immune cells. Using tissue-specific RNAi-mediated knockdown, we showed that Fmr1 plays a cell-autonomous role in the phagocytosis of bacteria. Fmr1 mutants also exhibit delays in two processes that require phagocytosis by glial cells, the immune cells in the brain: neuronal clearance after injury in adults and the development of the mushroom body, a brain structure required for learning and memory. Delayed neuronal clearance is associated with reduced recruitment of activated glia to the site of injury. These results suggest a previously unrecognized role for Fmr1 in regulating the activation of phagocytic immune cells both in the body and the brain.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  Journal of Cell Biology

• Publication date

  2017-03-06

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1083/jcb.201607093PMID 28223318PMCID 5350515
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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