Neuron-Specific FMRP Roles in Experience-Dependent Remodeling of Olfactory Brain Innervation during an Early-Life Critical Period

Abstract

Critical periods are developmental windows during which neural circuits effectively adapt to the new sensory environment. Animal models of fragile X syndrome (FXS), a common monogenic autism spectrum disorder (ASD), exhibit profound impairments of sensory experience-driven critical periods. However, it is not known whether the causative fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) acts uniformly across neurons, or instead manifests neuron-specific functions. Here, we use the genetically-tractable Drosophila brain antennal lobe (AL) olfactory circuit of both sexes to investigate neuron-specific FMRP roles in the odorant experience-dependent remodeling of the olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) innervation during an early-life critical period. We find targeted OSN class-specific FMRP RNAi impairs innervation remodeling within AL synaptic glomeruli, whereas global dfmr1 null mutants display relatively normal odorant-driven refinement. We find both OSN cell autonomous and cell non-autonomous FMRP functions mediate odorant experience-dependent remodeling, with AL circuit FMRP imbalance causing defects in overall glomerulus innervation refinement. We find OSN class-specific FMRP levels bidirectionally regulate critical period remodeling, with odorant experience selectively controlling OSN synaptic terminals in AL glomeruli. We find OSN class-specific FMRP loss impairs critical period remodeling by disrupting responses to lateral modulation from other odorant-responsive OSNs mediating overall AL gain control. We find that silencing glutamatergic AL interneurons reduces OSN remodeling, while conversely, interfering with the OSN class-specific GABA_A signaling enhances remodeling. These findings reveal control of OSN synaptic remodeling by FMRP with neuron-specific circuit functions, and indicate how neural circuitry can compensate for global FMRP loss to reinstate normal critical period brain circuit remodeling.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading monogenic cause of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), manifests severe neurodevelopmental delays. Likewise, FXS disease models display disrupted neurodevelopmental critical periods. In the well-mapped Drosophila olfactory circuit model, perturbing the causative fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) within a single olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) class impairs odorant-dependent remodeling during an early-life critical period. Importantly, this impairment requires activation of other OSNs, and the olfactory circuit can compensate when FMRP is removed from all OSNs. Understanding the neuron-specific FMRP requirements within a developing neural circuit, as well as the FMRP loss compensation mechanisms, should help us engineer FXS treatments. This work suggests FXS treatments could use homeostatic mechanisms to alleviate circuit-level deficits.

Keywords: Drosophila; critical period; fragile X mental retardation protein; fragile X syndrome; sensory experience; synapse elimination.