Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila
Abstract Peripheral sensory neurons are the gateway to the environment across species. In Drosophila, olfactory and gustatory senses are required to initiate courtship, as well as for the escalation of courtship patterns that lead to copulation. To be successful, copulation must last long enough to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10247-3 |
| _version_ | 1818480585350316032 |
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| author | Shreyas Jois Yick-Bun Chan Maria Paz Fernandez Narsimha Pujari Lea Joline Janz Sarah Parker Adelaine Kwun-Wai Leung |
| author_facet | Shreyas Jois Yick-Bun Chan Maria Paz Fernandez Narsimha Pujari Lea Joline Janz Sarah Parker Adelaine Kwun-Wai Leung |
| author_sort | Shreyas Jois |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Peripheral sensory neurons are the gateway to the environment across species. In Drosophila, olfactory and gustatory senses are required to initiate courtship, as well as for the escalation of courtship patterns that lead to copulation. To be successful, copulation must last long enough to ensure the transfer of sperm and seminal fluid that ultimately leads to fertilization. The peripheral sensory information required to regulate copulation duration is unclear. Here, we employed genetic manipulations that allow driving gene expression in the male genitalia as a tool to uncover the role of these genitalia specific neurons in copulation. The fly genitalia contain sex-specific bristle hairs innervated by mechanosensory neurons. To date, the role of the sensory information collected by these peripheral neurons in male copulatory behavior is unknown. We confirmed that these MSNs are cholinergic and co-express both fru and dsx. We found that the sensory information received by the peripheral sensory neurons from the front legs (GRNs) and mechanosensory neurons (MSNs) at the male genitalia contribute to the regulation of copulation duration. Moreover, our results show that their function is required for copulation persistence, which ensures copulation is undisrupted in the presence of environmental stress before sperm transfer is complete. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T11:25:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f9e613ec7c941e0abaf321a0bfd3cbd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T11:25:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f9e613ec7c941e0abaf321a0bfd3cbd2022-12-22T01:50:45ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-04-0112111210.1038/s41598-022-10247-3Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male DrosophilaShreyas Jois0Yick-Bun Chan1Maria Paz Fernandez2Narsimha Pujari3Lea Joline Janz4Sarah Parker5Adelaine Kwun-Wai Leung6Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of SaskatchewanDepartment of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical SchoolDepartment of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard CollegeDepartment of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of SaskatchewanDepartment of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of SaskatchewanCentre for Applied Epidemiology, Large Animal Clinical Science, WCVM, University of SaskatchewanDepartment of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of SaskatchewanAbstract Peripheral sensory neurons are the gateway to the environment across species. In Drosophila, olfactory and gustatory senses are required to initiate courtship, as well as for the escalation of courtship patterns that lead to copulation. To be successful, copulation must last long enough to ensure the transfer of sperm and seminal fluid that ultimately leads to fertilization. The peripheral sensory information required to regulate copulation duration is unclear. Here, we employed genetic manipulations that allow driving gene expression in the male genitalia as a tool to uncover the role of these genitalia specific neurons in copulation. The fly genitalia contain sex-specific bristle hairs innervated by mechanosensory neurons. To date, the role of the sensory information collected by these peripheral neurons in male copulatory behavior is unknown. We confirmed that these MSNs are cholinergic and co-express both fru and dsx. We found that the sensory information received by the peripheral sensory neurons from the front legs (GRNs) and mechanosensory neurons (MSNs) at the male genitalia contribute to the regulation of copulation duration. Moreover, our results show that their function is required for copulation persistence, which ensures copulation is undisrupted in the presence of environmental stress before sperm transfer is complete.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10247-3 |
| spellingShingle | Shreyas Jois Yick-Bun Chan Maria Paz Fernandez Narsimha Pujari Lea Joline Janz Sarah Parker Adelaine Kwun-Wai Leung Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila Scientific Reports |
| title | Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila |
| title_full | Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila |
| title_fullStr | Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila |
| title_short | Sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male Drosophila |
| title_sort | sexually dimorphic peripheral sensory neurons regulate copulation duration and persistence in male drosophila |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10247-3 |
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