FB2026_03 , released September 17, 2026
Human Disease Model Report: insulin pathway effects, FMR1-related
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General Information
Name
insulin pathway effects, FMR1-related
FlyBase ID
FBhh0000957
Disease Ontology Term
Parent Disease
OMIM
Overview

The human FMR1 gene is implicated in fragile X syndrome and fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome. Fragile X syndrome has been extensively studied in Drosophila models; see the human disease model report 'fragile X syndrome' (FBhh0000136). This syndrome has variable phenotypes, which usually includes moderate to severe intellectual disability and may include autistic behaviors, obesity, and sleep disturbances. There is a single fly ortholog of FMR1, Dmel\Fmr1, for which classical amorphic and hypomorphic alleles, RNAi-targeting constructs, and alleles caused by insertional mutagenesis have been generated. Dmel\Fmr1 is also orthologous to two additional human genes, FXR1 and FXR2.

UAS constructs of the human Hsap\FMR1 have been introduced into flies, but have not been characterized in the context of this disease model.

In flies, expression of Dmel\Fmr1 in the insulin-producing cells (IPCs) of the brain is sufficient to restore normal circadian behavior and to rescue the memory deficit phenotype of animals carrying loss-of-function Fmr1 mutations. This was an unexpected discovery: after establishing that pan-neuronal expression of Fmr1 rescues the Fmr1 circadian phenotypes, expression in subsets of neurons was tested; expression in neurons known to affect circadian behavior has no effect on the circadian phenotypes of Fmr1, however, expression in the IPC cells (using an Ilp2 driver) results in rescue of the circadian phenotypes. Memory defects are also ameliorated.

Markers of insulin signaling (IS) are increased in the brains of flies carrying loss-of-function Fmr1 mutations. Reducing insulin signaling in Fmr1 mutant flies, either through the targeted expression of Fmr1 in the insulin-producing cells or through genetic reduction of IS, rescues both memory and circadian rhythmicity defects. Treatment of Fmr1 mutant animals with the insulin-normalizing drug metformin results in partial rescue of the short-term memory defect.

Based on experiments modulating expression in Drosophila intestinal stem cells (ISCs), Dmel\Fmr1 is postulated to control the insulin sensitivity of intestinal progenitor cells, impacting the process that underlies the adaptive growth of the adult intestine in response to nutrition.

Most amorphic mutations of Dmel\Fmr1 are semi-lethal, with the majority of animals dying during the pupal stage; effects can be studied in larvae and in surviving adults. Adults exhibit neurological phenotypes such as memory defective, locomotor rhythm defective, courtship behavior defective, and neuroanatomy defective; male sterility or semi-sterility is observed for several alleles; sleep and circadian defects have been observed. Extensive physical and genetic interactions of Dmel\Fmr1 have been described; see below and in the gene report for Fmr1.

[updated Jan. 2019 by FlyBase; FBrf0222196]

Disease Summary Information
Disease Summary: insulin pathway effects, FMR1-related
OMIM report
Human gene(s) implicated
Symptoms and phenotype
Genetics
Cellular phenotype and pathology
Molecular information

The FMR1 protein is part of an RNA-binding complex that binds to the mRNA cap and mediates translational repression; may also play a role in intracellular transport of mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. [UniProt:Q06787; 2016.01.15]

FMR1 encodes a multifunctional polyribosome-associated RNA-binding protein that plays a central role in neuronal development and synaptic plasticity through the regulation of alternative mRNA splicing, mRNA stability, mRNA dendritic transport and postsynaptic local protein synthesis of a subset of mRNAs. [Gene Cards, FMR1; 2019.01.14]

External links
Disease synonyms
Ortholog Information
Human gene(s) in FlyBase
Human gene (HGNC)
D. melanogaster ortholog (based on DIOPT)
Comments on ortholog(s)

Many to one: 3 human to 1 Drosophila. Three human genes, FMR1, FXR1 and FXR2, are orthologous to the fly gene Dmel\Fmr1.

Other mammalian ortholog(s) used
    D. melanogaster Gene Information (1)
    Gene Snapshot
    Fmr1 (Fmr1) encodes an RNA and channel binding protein. It acts as a neural growth brake regulating RNA trafficking, RNA translation and neuronal excitability. Fmr1 loss causes Fragile X syndrome. [Date last reviewed: 2019-03-07]
    Gene Groups / Pathways
    Comments on ortholog(s)

    High-scoring ortholog of human gene FMR1, FXR1 and FXR2 (1 Drosophila to 3 human). Dmel\Fmr1 shares 36-38% identity and 51-53% similarity with each of the 3 human genes.

    Orthologs and Alignments from DRSC
    DIOPT - DRSC Integrative Ortholog Prediction Tool - Click the link below to search for orthologs in Humans
    Other Genes Used: Viral, Bacterial, Synthetic (0)
      Summary of Physical Interactions (125 groups)
      protein-protein
      Interacting group
      Assay
      References
      pull down, autoradiography, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, primer specific pcr, western blot
      tandem affinity purification, peptide massfingerprinting, western blot, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      molecular sieving, ion exchange chromatography, peptide massfingerprinting, western blot, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, pull down, autoradiography, anti tag western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      pull down, autoradiography, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      two hybrid, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, pull down, Identification by mass spectrometry
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, peptide massfingerprinting
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      pull down, autoradiography, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, peptide massfingerprinting
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, peptide massfingerprinting, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry
      pull down, western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, Identification by mass spectrometry, pull down, anti tag western blot, molecular sieving, molecular weight estimation by staining
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot
      enzymatic study, western blot, pull down, Identification by mass spectrometry, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation
      pull down, western blot
      coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, peptide massfingerprinting, coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, peptide massfingerprinting
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, Identification by mass spectrometry
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, pull down
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, pull down
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry, anti tag western blot, pull down, autoradiography, peptide massfingerprinting
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, electron microscopy, inferred by author, pull down, autoradiography, peptide massfingerprinting, cross-linking study, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry
      pull down, anti tag western blot, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, peptide massfingerprinting, autoradiography
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry
      pull down, Identification by mass spectrometry, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, western blot
      coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, cosedimentation through density gradient, anti tag western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, cosedimentation through density gradient
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, molecular sieving, ion exchange chromatography
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, western blot
      molecular sieving, ion exchange chromatography, peptide massfingerprinting, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, pull down, molecular weight estimation by staining, Identification by mass spectrometry
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, peptide massfingerprinting
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, anti tag western blot, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, Identification by mass spectrometry, anti tag western blot, western blot
      RNA-protein
      Interacting group
      Assay
      References
      pull down, autoradiography, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, primer specific pcr, western blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, northern blot, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, autoradiography
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, clip-seq
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, primer specific pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, western blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, proximity labelling technology, nucleotide sequence identification, reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, primer specific pcr, full identification by DNA sequencing
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, clip-seq
      clip-seq, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr, primer specific pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      clip-seq, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, northern blot
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, northern blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, northern blot
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, northern blot, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, pull down
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, clip-seq
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti tag coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr, clip-seq
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      clip-seq, anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      anti bait coimmunoprecipitation, quantitative reverse transcription pcr
      RNA-RNA
      Interacting group
      Assay
      References
      western blot, luminiscence technology
      fluorescence technology, luminiscence technology, necessary binding region
      luminiscence technology
      Alleles Reported to Model Human Disease (Disease Ontology) (41 alleles)
      Models Based on Experimental Evidence ( 34 )
      Allele
      Disease
      Evidence
      References
      Modifiers Based on Experimental Evidence ( 18 )
      Allele
      Disease
      Interaction
      References
      exacerbates  Troyer syndrome
      Models Based on Experimental Evidence ( 3 )
      Modifiers Based on Experimental Evidence ( 1 )
      Allele
      Disease
      Interaction
      References
      Alleles Representing Disease-Implicated Variants
      Genetic Tools, Stocks and Reagents
      Sources of Stocks
      Contact lab of origin for a reagent not available from a public stock center.
      Bloomington Stock Center Disease Page
      Related mammalian, viral, bacterial, or synthetic transgenes
      Allele
      Transgene
      Publicly Available Stocks
      Selected Drosophila transgenes
      Allele
      Transgene
      Publicly Available Stocks
      RNAi constructs available
      Allele
      Transgene
      Publicly Available Stocks
      Selected Drosophila classical alleles
      Allele
      Allele class
      Mutagen
      Publicly Available Stocks
      P-element activity
      loss of function allele
      ethyl methanesulfonate
      loss of function allele
      ethyl methanesulfonate
      Delta2-3 transposase
      amorphic allele - genetic evidence
      Delta2-3 transposase
      amorphic allele - genetic evidence
      Delta2-3 transposase
      loss of function allele
      Delta2-3 transposase
      loss of function allele
      ethyl methanesulfonate
      loss of function allele
      Delta2-3 transposase
      amorphic allele - genetic evidence
      Delta2-3 transposase
      loss of function allele
      P-element activity
      References (6)