MFN2-dependent recruitment of ATAT1 coordinates mitochondria motility with alpha-tubulin acetylation and is disrupted in CMT2A

Acetylated microtubules play key roles in the regulation of mitochondria dynamics. It has however remained unknown if the machinery controlling mitochondria dynamics functionally interacts with the alpha-tubulin acetylation cycle. Mitofusin-2 (MFN2), a large GTPase residing in the mitochondrial outer membrane and mutated in Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 disease (CMT2A), is a regulator of mitochondrial fusion, transport and tethering with the endoplasmic reticulum. The role of MFN2 in regulating mitochondrial transport has however remained elusive. Here we show that mitochondrial contacts with microtubules are sites of alpha-tubulin acetylation, which occurs through the MFN2-mediated recruitment of alpha-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (ATAT1). We discover that this activity is critical for MFN2-dependent regulation of mitochondria transport, and that axonal degeneration caused by CMT2A MFN2 associated mutations, R94W and T105M, may depend on the inability to release ATAT1 at sites of mitochondrial contacts with microtubules. Our findings reveal a function for mitochondria in regulating acetylated alpha-tubulin and suggest that disruption of the tubulin acetylation cycle play a pathogenic role in the onset of MFN2-dependent CMT2A.

Dscam2 suppresses synaptic strength through a PI3K-dependent endosomal pathway

Dscam2 is a cell surface protein required for neuronal development in Drosophila; it can promote neural wiring through homophilic recognition that leads to either adhesion or repulsion between neurites. Here, we report that Dscam2 also plays a post-developmental role in suppressing synaptic strength. This function is dependent on one of two distinct extracellular isoforms of the protein and is autonomous to motor neurons. We link the PI3K enhancer, Centaurin gamma 1A, to the Dscam2-dependent regulation of synaptic strength and show that changes in phosphoinositide levels correlate with changes in endosomal compartments that have previously been associated with synaptic strength. Using transmission electron microscopy, we find an increase in synaptic vesicles at Dscam2 mutant active zones, providing a rationale for the increase in synaptic strength. Our study provides the first evidence that Dscam2 can regulate synaptic physiology and highlights how diverse roles of alternative protein isoforms can contribute to unique aspects of brain development and function.

Nociceptive interneurons control modular motor pathways to promote escape behavior in Drosophila

Rapid and efficient escape behaviors in response to noxious sensory stimuli are essential for protection and survival. Yet, how noxious stimuli are transformed to coordinated escape behaviors remains poorly understood. In Drosophila larvae, noxious stimuli trigger sequential body bending and corkscrew-like rolling behavior. We identified a population of interneurons in the nerve cord of Drosophila, termed Down-and-Back (DnB) neurons, that are activated by noxious heat, promote nociceptive behavior, and are required for robust escape responses to noxious stimuli. Electron microscopic circuit reconstruction shows that DnBs are targets of nociceptive and mechanosensory neurons, are directly presynaptic to pre-motor circuits, and link indirectly to Goro rolling command-like neurons. DnB activation promotes activity in Goro neurons, and coincident inactivation of Goro neurons prevents the rolling sequence but leaves intact body bending motor responses. Thus, activity from nociceptors to DnB interneurons coordinates modular elements of nociceptive escape behavior.

Dscam Proteins Direct Dendritic Targeting through Adhesion

Cell recognition molecules are key regulators of neural circuit assembly. The Dscam family of recognition molecules in Drosophila has been shown to regulate interactions between neurons through homophilic repulsion. This is exemplified by Dscam1 and Dscam2, which together repel dendrites of lamina neurons, L1 and L2, in the visual system. By contrast, here we show that Dscam2 directs dendritic targeting of another lamina neuron, L4, through homophilic adhesion. Through live imaging and genetic mosaics to dissect interactions between specific cells, we show that Dscam2 is required in L4 and its target cells for correct dendritic targeting. In a genetic screen, we identified Dscam4 as another regulator of L4 targeting which acts with Dscam2 in the same pathway to regulate this process. This ensures tiling of the lamina neuropil through heterotypic interactions. Thus, different combinations of Dscam proteins act through distinct mechanisms in closely related neurons to pattern neural circuits.

Neuronal cell-type-specific alternative splicing: A mechanism for specifying connections in the brain?

Alternative splicing (AS) allows a single gene to generate multiple protein isoforms. It has been hypothesized that AS plays a role in brain wiring by increasing the number of cell recognition molecules necessary for forming connections between neurons. Many studies have characterized isoform expression patterns of various genes in the brain, but very few have addressed whether specific isoforms play a functional role in neuronal wiring. In our recent work, we reported the cell-type-specific AS of the cell recognition molecule Dscam2. Exclusive expression of Dscam2 isoforms allows tightly associated neurons to signal repulsion selectively within the same cell-types, without interfering with one another. We show that preventing cell-specific isoform expression in 2 closely associated neurons disrupts their axon terminal morphology. We propose that the requirement for isoform specificity extends to synapses and discuss experiments that can test this directly. Factors that regulate Dscam2 cell-type-specific AS likely regulate the splicing of many genes involved in neurodevelopment. These regulators of alternative splicing may act broadly to control many genes involved in the development of specific neuron types. Identifying these factors is a key step in understanding how AS contributes to the brain connectome.