An assay for social interaction in Drosophila fragile X mutants.
We developed a novel assay to examine social interactions in Drosophila and, as a first attempt, apply it here at examining the behavior of Drosophila Fragile X Mental Retardation gene (dfmr1) mutants. Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of single gene intellectual disability (ID) and is frequently associated with autism. Our results suggest that dfmr1 mutants are less active than wild-type flies and interact with each other less often. In addition, mutants for one allele of dfmr1, dfmr1(B55), are more likely to come in close contact with a wild-type fly than another dfmr1(B55) mutant. Our results raise the possibility of defective social expression with preserved receptive abilities. We further suggest that the assay may be applied in a general strategy of examining endophenoypes of complex human neurological disorders in Drosophila, and specifically in order to understand the genetic basis of social interaction defects linked with ID.
Bolduc
Francois V
FV
Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA.
Valente
Dan
D
Nguyen
Antoinette T
AT
Mitra
Partha P
PP
Tully
Tim
T
D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D058068:Endophenotypes; D005260:Female; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D009154:Mutation; D010550:Personal Space; D012919:Social Behavior
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051860:Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1; C467328:FMR1 protein, Drosophila