Abstract
Social context can dampen or amplify the perception of touch, and touch in turn conveys nuanced social information. However, the neural mechanism behind social regulation of mechanosensation is largely elusive. Here we report that fruit flies exhibit a strong defensive response to mechanical stimuli to their wings. In contrast, virgin female flies being courted by a male show a compromised defensive response to the stimuli, but following mating the response is enhanced. This state-dependent switch is mediated by a functional reconfiguration of a neural circuit labelled with the Tmc-L gene in the ventral nerve cord. The circuit receives excitatory inputs from peripheral mechanoreceptors and coordinates the defensive response. While male cues suppress it via a doublesex (dsx) neuronal pathway, mating sensitizes it by stimulating a group of uterine neurons and consequently activating a leucokinin-dependent pathway. Such a modulation is crucial for the balance between defense against body contacts and sexual receptivity.
Highlights
Social context can dampen or amplify the perception of touch, and touch in turn conveys nuanced social information
Mechanical stimuli on the body surface are usually alert signals and flies tend to provoke escape or defensive response[12]. This gives rise to a profound question: how do female flies adjust their responsive state to body touch according to the context of sexual activity? In female mice, different groups of neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus seem to play different roles in regulating sexual receptivity and defensive behaviors[13], implicating that defensive response is affected with mating activities
What is the mechanism whereby the defensive response increases after mating? We examined the postmating change in defensive response of females that are mutant for several pheromone receptor genes, based on the assumption that chemical communication between the female and male flies might play a role in this process
Summary
Social context can dampen or amplify the perception of touch, and touch in turn conveys nuanced social information. Virgin female flies being courted by a male show a compromised defensive response to the stimuli, but following mating the response is enhanced This state-dependent switch is mediated by a functional reconfiguration of a neural circuit labelled with the Tmc-L gene in the ventral nerve cord. While male cues suppress it via a doublesex (dsx) neuronal pathway, mating sensitizes it by stimulating a group of uterine neurons and activating a leucokinin-dependent pathway Such a modulation is crucial for the balance between defense against body contacts and sexual receptivity. Mechanical stimuli on the body surface are usually alert signals and flies tend to provoke escape or defensive response[12] This gives rise to a profound question: how do female flies adjust their responsive state to body touch according to the context of sexual activity? We reveal the neural basis for the sexual activity inducing modulation of touch sensitivity
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