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A Sexually Dimorphic Olfactory Neuron Mediates Fixed Action Transition during Courtship Ritual in Drosophila melanogaster
Title: | A Sexually Dimorphic Olfactory Neuron Mediates Fixed Action Transition during Courtship Ritual in Drosophila melanogaster |
Authors: | Tanaka, Nobuaki Browse this author →KAKEN DB | Hirao, Takashi Browse this author | Chida, Hikaru Browse this author | Ejima, Aki Browse this author |
Keywords: | courtship | fixed action pattern | insect | olfaction | pheromone | sexual behavior |
Issue Date: | 24-Nov-2021 |
Publisher: | Society for Neuroscience |
Journal Title: | Journal of neuroscience |
Volume: | 41 |
Issue: | 47 |
Start Page: | 9732 |
End Page: | 9741 |
Publisher DOI: | 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1168-21.2021 |
Abstract: | Animals perform a series of actions in a fixed order during ritualistic innate behaviors. Although command neurons and sensory pathways responding to external stimuli that trigger these behaviors have been identified, how each action is induced in a fixed order in response to multimodal sensory stimuli remains unclear. Here, the sexually dimorphic lateral antennal lobe tract projection neuron 4 (lPN4) in male Drosophila melanogaster mediates the expression of a fixed behavioral action pattern at the beginning of the courtship ritual, in which a male taps a female body and then extends a wing unilaterally to produce a courtship song. We found that blocking the synaptic output of lPN4 caused an increase in the ratio of male flies that extended a wing unilaterally without tapping the female body, whereas excitation of lPN4 suppressed the transition from the tapping phase to the unilateral wing extension phase. Real-time calcium imaging showed that lPN4 is activated by a volatile pheromone, palmitoleic acid, whose responses were inhibited by simultaneous gustatory stimulation with female cuticular hydrocarbons, showing the existence of an "AND-gate" for multimodal sensory inputs during male courtship behaviors. These results suggest that the function of lPN4 is to suppress unilateral wing extension while responding to a female smell, which is released by appropriate contact chemosensory inputs received when tapping a female. As the female smell also promotes male courtship behaviors, the olfactory system is ready to simultaneously promote and suppress the progress of courtship actions while responding to a female smell. |
Type: | article |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2115/85494 |
Appears in Collections: | 理学院・理学研究院 (Graduate School of Science / Faculty of Science) > 雑誌発表論文等 (Peer-reviewed Journal Articles, etc)
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