Axon and dendrite placement and connectivity is guided by a wide range of secreted and surface molecules in the developing nervous system. Nevertheless, the extraordinary complexity of connections in the brain requires that this repertoire be further diversified to precisely and uniquely regulate cell-cell interactions. One important mechanism for molecular diversification is alternative splicing. Drosophila Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam2) undergoes cell type-specific alternative splicing to produce two isoform-specific homophilic binding proteins. Regulated alternative splicing of Dscam2 is important for dendrite and axon patterning, but how this translates to circuit wiring and animal behavior is not well understood. Here, we examined the role of cell-type specific expression of Dscam2 isoforms in regulating synaptic partner selection in the larval somatosensory system. We found that synaptic partners in the nociceptive circuit express different Dscam2 isoforms. Forcing synaptic partners to express a common isoform resulted in nociceptive axon patterning defects and attenuated nocifensive behaviors, indicating that a role for Dscam2 alternative splicing is to ensure that synaptic partners do not express matching isoforms. These results point to a model in which regulated alternative splicing of Dscam2 across populations of neurons restricts connectivity to specific partners and prevents inappropriate synaptic connections.
Keywords: Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule; Drosophila; Dscam2; axon targeting; neural circuit; nociception; somatosensory neurons.