Title: | The neuropeptide tachykinin is essential for pheromone detection in a gustatory neural circuit |
Author(s): | Shankar S; Chua JY; Tan KJ; Calvert ME; Weng R; Ng WC; Mori K; Yew JY; |
Address: | "Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore. Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore, Singapore. Photosensitive Materials Research Center, Toyo Gosei Co., Ltd, Chiba, Japan" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 2050-084X (Electronic) 2050-084X (Print) 2050-084X (Linking) |
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" |
Keywords: | "Animals Drosophila/*physiology Drosophila Proteins/analysis Neurons/chemistry/*physiology Pheromones/*metabolism Receptors, Cell Surface/analysis Tachykinins/*metabolism Taste Perception Ch503 D.melanogaster Npf anti-aphrodisiac behavior calcium imaging;" |
Notes: | "MedlineShankar, Shruti Chua, Jia Yi Tan, Kah Junn Calvert, Meredith E K Weng, Ruifen Ng, Wan Chin Mori, Kenji Yew, Joanne Y eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2015/06/18 Elife. 2015 Jun 17; 4:e06914. doi: 10.7554/eLife.06914" |