Journal
NEURON
Volume 66, Issue 2, Pages 191-197Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.017
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Funding
- NIH [1F31NS050992, NS045711, HD052731, DA08227, T32DA07290, F32DA27265]
- Autism Speaks
- Whitehall Foundation
- Simons Foundation
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Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic form of mental retardation and autism, is caused by loss-of-function mutations in an RNA-binding protein, Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). Neurons from patients and the mouse Fmr1 knockout (KO) model are characterized by an excess of dendritic spines, suggesting a deficit in excitatory synapse elimination. In response to neuronal activity, myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) transcription factors induce robust synapse elimination. Here, we demonstrate that MEF2 activation fails to eliminate functional or structural excitatory synapses in hippocampal neurons from Fmr1 KO mice. Similarly, inhibition of endogenous MEF2 increases synapse number in wild-type but not Fmr1 KO neurons. MEF2-dependent synapse elimination is rescued in Fmr1 KO neurons by acute postsynaptic expression of wildtype but not RNA-binding mutants of FMRP. Our results reveal that active MEF2 and FMRP function together in an acute, cell-autonomous mechanism to eliminate excitatory synapses
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