Regulation of sociality and neuronal development by the translation initiation factor eIF4H1 in Drosophila

Neuron-specific eIF4H1 knockdown in adult Drosophila melanogaster disrupts organization of dopaminergic neuron subtypes linked to sociality and cognitive functions.

• Why it matters: It remains unclear whether social traits evolved independently or share conserved genetic mechanisms, and which genes from Williams syndrome may regulate core social neural circuits.
• What they did: A neuron-specific RNAi knockdown screen in flies identified eIF4H1, an ortholog of an eIF4F subunit, with predominantly neuronal adult brain expression.
• The result: eIF4H1 acts differentially across dopaminergic neuron subtypes associated with sociality, implying a conserved role in developing neuronal circuits for social behaviors.

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