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Cell

Title:		Contact chemoreceptors mediate male-male repulsion and male-female attraction during Drosophila courtship
Author(s):		Thistle R; Cameron P; Ghorayshi A; Dennison L; Scott K;
Address:		"Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, 16 Barker Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA"
Journal Title:		Cell
Year:		2012
Volume:		149
Issue:		5
Page Number:		1140 - 1151
DOI:		10.1016/j.cell.2012.03.045
ISSN/ISBN:		1097-4172 (Electronic) 0092-8674 (Print) 0092-8674 (Linking)
Abstract:		"The elaborate courtship ritual of Drosophila males is dictated by neural circuitry established by the transcription factor Fruitless and triggered by sex-specific sensory cues. Deciphering the role of different stimuli in driving courtship behavior has been limited by the inability to selectively target appropriate sensory classes. Here, we identify two ion channel genes belonging to the degenerin/epithelial sodium channel/pickpocket (ppk) family, ppk23 and ppk29, which are expressed in fruitless-positive neurons on the legs and are essential for courtship. Gene loss-of-function, cell-inactivation, and cell-activation experiments demonstrate that these genes and neurons are necessary and sufficient to inhibit courtship toward males and promote courtship toward females. Moreover, these cells respond to cuticular hydrocarbons, with different cells selectively responding to male or female pheromones. These studies identify a large population of pheromone-sensing neurons and demonstrate the essential role of contact chemosensation in the early courtship steps of mate selection and courtship initiation"
Keywords:		"Animals Animals, Genetically Modified Courtship Drosophila/*chemistry/genetics/*physiology Drosophila Proteins/metabolism Female Ion Channels/metabolism Male *Mating Preference, Animal Neurons/metabolism Sex Attractants/*metabolism;"
Notes:		"MedlineThistle, Robert Cameron, Peter Ghorayshi, Azeen Dennison, Lisa Scott, Kristin eng F31DC009389/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ R01 DC009470/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ 1R01DC009470/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ HHMI_/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/ F31 DC009389/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ T32 GM007232/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2012/05/29 Cell. 2012 May 25; 149(5):1140-51. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.03.045"