Septin Complexes Regulate Microtubule Organization and Synaptic Function at the Neuromuscular Junction

In Drosophila melanogaster, Septin2 (Sep2) and Septin5 (Sep5) are highly expressed in the nervous system, yet their combined transcriptomic impact remains poorly characterised. Here we performed bulk RNA-seq on w1118 control, Sep2[2] single mutant, Sep5[2] single mutant, and Sep2[2];Sep5[2] double homozygous mutant adult flies to identify synergistic gene expression changes.

Differential expression analysis (edgeR, quasi-likelihood) revealed extensive dysregulation of cytoskeletal, microtubule, actin-binding, axon guidance, and signalling gene networks specifically in the double mutant, supporting a functional redundancy model between Sep2 and Sep5.