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Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Title:		Electrical synapses mediate synergism between pheromone and food odors in Drosophila melanogaster
Author(s):		Das S; Trona F; Khallaf MA; Schuh E; Knaden M; Hansson BS; Sachse S;
Address:		"Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany. Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany ssachse@ice.mpg.de"
Journal Title:		Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Year:		2017
Volume:		20171031
Issue:		46
Page Number:		E9962 - E9971
DOI:		10.1073/pnas.1712706114
ISSN/ISBN:		1091-6490 (Electronic) 0027-8424 (Print) 0027-8424 (Linking)
Abstract:		"In Drosophila melanogaster, the sex pheromone produced by males, cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), evokes a stereotypic gender-specific behavior in both males and females. As Drosophila adults feed, mate, and oviposit on food, they perceive the pheromone as a blend against a background of food odors. Previous studies have reported that food odors enhance flies' behavioral response to cVA, specifically in virgin females. However, how and where the different olfactory inputs interact has so far remained unknown. In this study, we elucidated the neuronal mechanism underlying the response at an anatomical, functional, and behavioral level. Our data show that in virgin females cVA and the complex food odor vinegar evoke a synergistic response in the cVA-responsive glomerulus DA1. This synergism, however, does not appear at the input level of the glomerulus, but is restricted to the projection neuron level only. Notably, it is abolished by a mutation in gap junctions in projection neurons and is found to be mediated by electrical synapses between excitatory local interneurons and projection neurons. As a behavioral consequence, we demonstrate that virgin females in the presence of vinegar become receptive more rapidly to courting males, while male courtship is not affected. Altogether, our results suggest that lateral excitation via gap junctions modulates odor tuning in the antennal lobe and drives synergistic interactions between two ecologically relevant odors, representing food and sex"
Keywords:		"Acetates/pharmacology Acetic Acid/chemistry Animal Feed Animals Behavior, Animal/*drug effects Courtship Drosophila Proteins/metabolism Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology Drug Synergism Electrical Synapses/*drug effects/*physiology Female *Food Gene Expr;"
Notes:		"MedlineDas, Sudeshna Trona, Federica Khallaf, Mohammed A Schuh, Elisa Knaden, Markus Hansson, Bill S Sachse, Silke eng P40 OD018537/OD/NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2017/11/01 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Nov 14; 114(46):E9962-E9971. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1712706114. Epub 2017 Oct 31"