Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.

The differentially spliced transcription factors encoded by the fruitless (fru) gene are key determinants of sexual behavior in Drosophila. They are expressed in a minority of neurons with limited dimorphisms and regulate neural processes that remain largely unknown. Here, we use light-activated ion...

पूर्ण विवरण

ग्रंथसूची विवरण
मुख्य लेखकों: Clyne, J, Miesenböck, G
स्वरूप: Journal article
भाषा:English
प्रकाशित: 2008
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author Clyne, J
Miesenböck, G
author_facet Clyne, J
Miesenböck, G
author_sort Clyne, J
collection OXFORD
description The differentially spliced transcription factors encoded by the fruitless (fru) gene are key determinants of sexual behavior in Drosophila. They are expressed in a minority of neurons with limited dimorphisms and regulate neural processes that remain largely unknown. Here, we use light-activated ion channels to stimulate fru-expressing neurons in the thoracic-abdominal ganglia, enabling direct functional comparisons of homologous circuitry between sexes. Optical stimulation of males or females initiates the unilateral wing vibrations that normally generate the male courtship song. The pattern-generating circuit operates differently in the two sexes, producing wing movement and sound in both but authentic songs only in males and in females expressing male fru product. A song-like motor program is thus present in females but lies dormant because the neural commands required for song initiation are absent. Supplying such commands artificially reveals fru-specific differences in the internal dynamics of the song generator and sets the stage for exploring their physiological basis.
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spelling oxford-uuid:2b6b8708-d343-4aa7-a728-0070b2d4e3d02022-03-26T12:30:49ZSex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:2b6b8708-d343-4aa7-a728-0070b2d4e3d0EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2008Clyne, JMiesenböck, GThe differentially spliced transcription factors encoded by the fruitless (fru) gene are key determinants of sexual behavior in Drosophila. They are expressed in a minority of neurons with limited dimorphisms and regulate neural processes that remain largely unknown. Here, we use light-activated ion channels to stimulate fru-expressing neurons in the thoracic-abdominal ganglia, enabling direct functional comparisons of homologous circuitry between sexes. Optical stimulation of males or females initiates the unilateral wing vibrations that normally generate the male courtship song. The pattern-generating circuit operates differently in the two sexes, producing wing movement and sound in both but authentic songs only in males and in females expressing male fru product. A song-like motor program is thus present in females but lies dormant because the neural commands required for song initiation are absent. Supplying such commands artificially reveals fru-specific differences in the internal dynamics of the song generator and sets the stage for exploring their physiological basis.
spellingShingle Clyne, J
Miesenböck, G
Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.
title Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.
title_full Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.
title_fullStr Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.
title_full_unstemmed Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.
title_short Sex-specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in Drosophila.
title_sort sex specific control and tuning of the pattern generator for courtship song in drosophila
work_keys_str_mv AT clynej sexspecificcontrolandtuningofthepatterngeneratorforcourtshipsongindrosophila
AT miesenbockg sexspecificcontrolandtuningofthepatterngeneratorforcourtshipsongindrosophila