| Title: | miR-124 controls male reproductive success in Drosophila |
| Author(s): | Weng R; Chin JS; Yew JY; Bushati N; Cohen SM; |
| Address: | "Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology , Singapore , Singapore ; Department of Biological Sciences , National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2050-084X (Print) 2050-084X (Electronic) 2050-084X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Many aspects of social behavior are controlled by sex-specific pheromones. Gender-appropriate production of the sexually dimorphic transcription factors doublesex and fruitless controls sexual differentiation and sexual behavior. miR-124 mutant males exhibited increased male-male courtship and reduced reproductive success with females. Females showed a strong preference for wild-type males over miR-124 mutant males when given a choice of mates. These effects were traced to aberrant pheromone production. We identified the sex-specific splicing factor transformer as a functionally significant target of miR-124 in this context, suggesting a role for miR-124 in the control of male sexual differentiation and behavior, by limiting inappropriate expression of the female form of transformer. miR-124 is required to ensure fidelity of gender-appropriate pheromone production in males. Use of a microRNA provides a secondary means of controlling the cascade of sex-specific splicing events that controls sexual differentiation in Drosophila. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00640.001" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Female Male MicroRNAs/genetics/*physiology Mutation Reproduction/genetics/*physiology Sex Attractants/biosynthesis Sexual Behavior, Animal D.melanogaster behaviour evolution genetics microRNA pheromome selection;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineWeng, Ruifen Chin, Jacqueline S R Yew, Joanne Y Bushati, Natascha Cohen, Stephen M eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2013/06/26 Elife. 2013 Jun 11; 2:e00640. doi: 10.7554/eLife.00640" |
