Abstract
Gustatory pheromones play an essential role in shaping the behavior of many organisms. However, little is known about the processing of taste pheromones in higher order brain centers. Here, we describe a male-specific gustatory circuit in Drosophila that underlies the detection of the anti-aphrodisiac pheromone (3R,11Z,19Z)-3-acetoxy-11,19-octacosadien-1-ol (CH503). Using behavioral analysis, genetic manipulation, and live calcium imaging, we show that Gr68a-expressing neurons on the forelegs of male flies exhibit a sexually dimorphic physiological response to the pheromone and relay information to the central brain via peptidergic neurons. The release of tachykinin from 8 to 10 cells within the subesophageal zone is required for the pheromone-triggered courtship suppression. Taken together, this work describes a neuropeptide-modulated central brain circuit that underlies the programmed behavioral response to a gustatory sex pheromone. These results will allow further examination of the molecular basis by which innate behaviors are modulated by gustatory cues and physiological state.
Highlights
For many animals, exogenously released chemical cues known as pheromones heavily influence social behaviors that are crucial to survival and reproduction (Karlson and Luscher, 1959)
To determine the sensitivity of males to CH503 and to examine the courtship features that are suppressed by the pheromone, wild-type CantonS male flies were placed with virgin females perfumed with doses of synthetic CH503 ranging from 0 to 2667 ng
These findings indicate that CH503 inhibits later stages of the courtship sequence and sustained courtship behavior
Summary
Exogenously released chemical cues known as pheromones heavily influence social behaviors that are crucial to survival and reproduction (Karlson and Luscher, 1959). Elucidating the neural basis of pheromone detection provides a means for understanding how information from sensory stimuli is encoded and used to modulate complex behaviors such as mating (Pavlou and Goodwin, 2013; Haga-Yamanaka et al, 2014) and aggression (Chamero et al, 2007; Wang et al, 2011; Fernandez and Kravitz, 2013). In Drosophila, the pathways mediating detection of the sex pheromone 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) have been refined down to 4 neurons connected by 3 synapses (Ruta et al, 2010). In contrast to the olfactory system, the higher order pathways for the processing of gustatory pheromones are largely unknown despite their importance in behavior (Wang et al, 2011; Fernandez and Kravitz, 2013). Gr32a (Miyamoto and Amrein, 2008) is thought
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