| Title: | Obp56h Modulates Mating Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster |
| Author(s): | Shorter JR; Dembeck LM; Everett LJ; Morozova TV; Arya GH; Turlapati L; St Armour GE; Schal C; Mackay TF; Anholt RR; |
| Address: | "Department of Biological Sciences, Program in Genetics and W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Program in Genetics and W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695. Department of Biological Sciences, Program in Genetics and W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 anholt@ncsu.edu" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2160-1836 (Electronic) 2160-1836 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Social interactions in insects are driven by conspecific chemical signals that are detected via olfactory and gustatory neurons. Odorant binding proteins (Obps) transport volatile odorants to chemosensory receptors, but their effects on behaviors remain poorly characterized. Here, we report that RNAi knockdown of Obp56h gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster enhances mating behavior by reducing courtship latency. The change in mating behavior that results from inhibition of Obp56h expression is accompanied by significant alterations in cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) composition, including reduction in 5-tricosene (5-T), an inhibitory sex pheromone produced by males that increases copulation latency during courtship. Whole genome RNA sequencing confirms that expression of Obp56h is virtually abolished in Drosophila heads. Inhibition of Obp56h expression also affects expression of other chemoreception genes, including upregulation of lush in both sexes and Obp83ef in females, and reduction in expression of Obp19b and Or19b in males. In addition, several genes associated with lipid metabolism, which underlies the production of cuticular hydrocarbons, show altered transcript abundances. Our data show that modulation of mating behavior through reduction of Obp56h is accompanied by altered cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and implicate 5-T as a possible ligand for Obp56h" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Animals, Genetically Modified Copulation Drosophila Proteins/*genetics/metabolism Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology Female Gene Expression Profiling Gene Expression Regulation Gene Knockdown Techniques Genome-Wide Association Study Hydrocarbons/;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineShorter, John R Dembeck, Lauren M Everett, Logan J Morozova, Tatiana V Arya, Gunjan H Turlapati, Lavanya St Armour, Genevieve E Schal, Coby Mackay, Trudy F C Anholt, Robert R H eng R01 GM059469/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM076083/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural England 2016/08/26 G3 (Bethesda). 2016 Oct 13; 6(10):3335-3342. doi: 10.1534/g3.116.034595" |
