Odor reception in antenna and antennal lobe of Drosophila

In early years of neurogenetics of Drosophila, most of us were inclined to believe that behavior of the fruit fly is largely stereotyped and hard-wired. This, at least, was a common prejudice when genetic analysis of olfaction began.¹⁴ We now know that Drosophila like other insects is capable of several types of learning or experience-dependent modification of behavior.^{2,4,5,7,10,12,13,15}     

Genetic Analysis of Phototactic Behavior in DROSOPHILA SIMULANS

Phototaxis mazes have been employed to select photopositive and photonegative strains of Drosophila simulans. The results suggest that phototactic behavior in D. simulans, as in other Drosophila species, is a polygenic trait. Hybridization using divergent strains revealed that the genes controlling negative phototactic behavior in D. simulans are autosomal, as opposed to D. melanogaster in which negative phototactic behavior is known to be very strongly sex-linked.     

Behavioral modification in choice process of Drosophila

Because of its clear genetic and developmental background, diversity of behavioral paradigms and neuroanatomy of the brain, Drosophila has become an important animal model for studying genetic, molecular and cellular bases of learning and memory[1]. Extensive research has explored the visual operant conditioning of Drosophila and related molecular bases[2—8]; recently, researchers began to address cognition-like functions and involved neural substrates[9—11]. In these studies, behavioral ana…     

Targeted gene expression in Drosophila dopaminergic cells using regulatory sequences from tyrosine hydroxylase

Dopamine (DA) is the only catecholaminergic neurotransmitter in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Dopaminergic neurons have been identified in the larval and adult central nervous system (CNS) in Drosophila and other insects, but no specific genetic tool was available to study their development, function, and degeneration in vivo. In Drosophila as in vertebrates, the rate-limiting step in DA biosynthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The Drosophila TH gene (DTH) is specifically expressed in all dopaminergic cells and the corresponding mutant, pale (ple), is embryonic lethal. We have performed ple rescue experiments with modified DTH transgenes. Our results indicate that partially redundant regulatory elements located in DTH introns are required for proper expression of this gene in the CNS. Based on this study, we generated a GAL4 driver transgene, TH-GAL4, containing regulatory sequences from the DTH 5' flanking and downstream coding regions. TH-GAL4 specifically expresses in dopaminergic cells in embryos, larval CNS, and adult brain when introduced into the Drosophila genome. As a first application of this driver, we observed that in vivo inhibition of DA release induces a striking hyperexcitability behavior in adult flies. We propose that TH-GAL4 will be useful for studies of the role of DA in behavior and disease models in Drosophila.     

果蝇幼虫的视觉系统

视觉对于动物的生存和行为来说是非常重要的。虽然果蝇幼虫的视觉神经系统在组织结构上比成虫简单,但是也具有一定的复杂性和多样性。在最近几年中,随着对果蝇幼虫视觉系统功能的研究取得重要进展,我们对于果蝇幼虫视觉系统的认识更加丰富了。果蝇幼虫视觉系统的结构中,最初级的光感受神经元包括三类,一类是BO/BN(Bolwig's organ/Bolwig's nerve),一类是表达感光分子CRY(cryptochrome)的神经元,另外一类是Ⅳ型DA(classⅣdendriticarborization)神经元;果蝇幼虫视觉系统的次级神经元主要是光节律相关的侧神经元(lateralneurons,LN),它表达Per(period)、Tim(timeless)及Pdf(pigment dispersion factor)等节律相关的蛋白分子;而第三级神经元包括更为下游的、表达果蝇促胸腺激素且直接调控幼虫光偏好的NP394神经元。这三级神经元构成了我们现在所了解的果蝇幼虫视觉神经系统的基本框架。     

Influence of group rearing on sexual behavior of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila melanogaster</Emphasis> males

Social interactions are able to strongly influence animal physiology and behavior. As is known, social experience can lead to changes in sexual and aggressive behavior, circadian rhythms and composition of cuticular hydrocarbons in Drosophila. Previously, we have shown that housing Drosophila males in monosexual groups of 20 individuals for 3 days after eclosion leads to a strong and long-term suppression of locomotor activity as revealed at individual testing, in contrast to males kept separately. The present research addressed courtship behavior, and specifically song production, in Drosophila males reared under similar conditions. It was found that rearing males in monosexual groups leads to a suppression of courtship and song production as well as to a simultaneous increase in locomotor activity when tested with a moving female. The latter effect was due to the strong urge of males to avoid interindividual contacts that prevented triggering the courtship ritual. It was suggested that intermale aggression caused by group rearing generates a state similar to conditioned fear.     

Drosophila female courtship and mating behaviors: sensory signals, genes, neural structures and evolution

Interest in Drosophila courtship behavior has a long-standing tradition, starting with the works by Sturtevant in 1915, and by Bastock and Manning in the 50s. The neural and genetic base of Drosophila melanogaster courtship behavior has made big strides in recent years, but the studies on males far outnumber those on females. Recent technical developments have made it possible to begin to unravel the biological substrates underlying the complexity of Drosophila female sexual behavior and its decisive effect on mating success. The present review focus more on the female side and summarizes the sensory signals that the male sends, using multiple channels, and which neural circuits and genes are mediating sex-specific behavioral responses.     

Mutations in many genes affect aggressive behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Background  

Aggressive behavior in animals is important for survival and reproduction. Identifying the underlying genes and environmental contexts that affect aggressive behavior is important for understanding the evolutionary forces that maintain variation for aggressive behavior in natural populations, and to develop therapeutic interventions to modulate extreme levels of aggressive behavior in humans. While the role of neurotransmitters and a few other molecules in mediating and modulating levels of aggression is well established, it is likely that many additional genetic pathways remain undiscovered. Drosophila melanogaster has recently been established as an excellent model organism for studying the genetic basis of aggressive behavior. Here, we present the results of a screen of 170 Drosophila P-element insertional mutations for quantitative differences in aggressive behavior from their co-isogenic control line.     

Fruit flies for anti-pain drug discovery

Recent work has indicated that fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) can be used in nociception research. Genetic screening identified a gene, painless, that is required for thermal and mechanical nociception in Drosophila larvae. On the other hand, pharmacological techniques and noxious heat were used to assay antinocieceptive behavior in intact adult Drosophila. In general, animal models for pain research are bound by ethical concerns. Since no serious ethical controversies have been raised regarding experiments in insects, Drosophila may be, for the time being an ethically acceptable animal model for combined genetic and pharmacological analgesia research.     

The Chromosomal Basis of Sexual Isolation in Two Sibling Species of Drosophila: D. ARIZONENSIS and D. MOJAVENSIS

The chromosomal determination of interspecific differences in mating behavior was studied in the interfertile pair, Drosophila arizonensis and Drosophila mojavensis, by means of chromosomal substitutions. Interspecific crossing over was avoided by crossing hybrid males to parental females, and identification of the origin of each chromosome in backcrossed hybrids was possible by means of allozyme markers. It was found that male mating behavior is controlled by factors located in the PGM-marked chromosome (which, in other Drosophila species, is part of the X chromosome) and in the Y chromosome. The other chromosomes influence male sexual behavior through their interactions with each other and with the PGM-marked chromosome, but their overall effect is minor. Female mating behavior is controlled by factors located in the ODH-marked and AMY-marked chromosomes, with the other chromosomes exercising a small additive effect. Hence, the two sex-specific behaviors are under different genetic control. Cytoplasmic origin has no effect on the mating behavior of either sex. There appears to be no correlation between a chromosome's structural diversity (i.e., amounts of inversion polymorphism within a species or numbers of fixed inversions across species) and its contribution to sexual isolation. These findings are in general agreement with those from similar Drosophila studies and may not be specific to the species studied here.     

Nociceptive neurons protect Drosophila larvae from parasitoid wasps

BACKGROUND: Natural selection has resulted in a complex and fascinating repertoire of innate behaviors that are produced by insects. One puzzling example occurs in fruit fly larvae that have been subjected to a noxious mechanical or thermal sensory input. In response, the larvae "roll" with a motor pattern that is completely distinct from the style of locomotion that is used for foraging. RESULTS: We have precisely mapped the sensory neurons that are used by the Drosophila larvae to detect nociceptive stimuli. By using complementary optogenetic activation and targeted silencing of sensory neurons, we have demonstrated that a single class of neuron (class IV multidendritic neuron) is sufficient and necessary for triggering the unusual rolling behavior. In addition, we find that larvae have an innately encoded preference in the directionality of rolling. Surprisingly, the initial direction of rolling locomotion is toward the side of the body that has been stimulated. We propose that directional rolling might provide a selective advantage in escape from parasitoid wasps that are ubiquitously present in the natural environment of Drosophila. Consistent with this hypothesis, we have documented that larvae can escape the attack of Leptopilina boulardi parasitoid wasps by rolling, occasionally flipping the attacker onto its back. CONCLUSIONS: The class IV multidendritic neurons of Drosophila larvae are nociceptive. The nociception behavior of Drosophila melanagaster larvae includes an innately encoded directional preference. Nociception behavior is elicited by the ecologically relevant sensory stimulus of parasitoid wasp attack.     

The circadian timekeeping system of Drosophila

Daily rhythms in behavior, physiology and metabolism are controlled by endogenous circadian clocks. At the heart of these clocks is a circadian oscillator that keeps circadian time, is entrained by environmental cues such as light and activates rhythmic outputs at the appropriate time of day. Genetic and molecular analyses in Drosophila have revealed important insights into the molecules and mechanisms underlying circadian oscillator function in all organisms. In this review I will describe the intracellular feedback loops that form the core of the Drosophila circadian oscillator and consider how they are entrained by environmental light cycles, where they operate within the fly and how they are thought to control overt rhythms in physiology and behavior. I will also discuss where work remains to be done to give a comprehensive picture of the circadian clock in Drosophila and likely many other organisms.     

Cooperation between Drosophila flies in searching behavior

In Drosophila melanogaster food search behaviour, groups of flies swarm around and aggregate on patches of food. We wondered whether flies explore their environment in a cooperative way as interactions between individual flies within a population might influence the flies' ability to locate food sources. We have shown that the food search behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila is a two-step process. Firstly, 'primer' flies search the environment and randomly land on different food patches. Secondly, the remaining group of flies move to the most favorable food source and aggregate there. We call this a 'search–aggregation' cycle. Our data demonstrate that flies do not individually assess all available food resources. Rather, social interactions between flies appear to affect their choice of a specific food patch. A genetic analysis of this 'search–aggregation' behavior shows that flies carrying mutations in specific genes (for example, the dunce ( dnc ) gene which codes for a phosphodiesterase) were defective in this search–aggregation behavior when compared to normal flies. Future investigations of the neuronal signaling involved in this behavior will help us to understand the complexities of this aspect of Drosophila social behaviour.     

Growing pains: development of the larval nocifensive response in Drosophila

The ability to perceive and avoid harmful substances or stimuli is key to an organism's survival. The neuronal cognate of the perception of pain is known as nociception, and the reflexive motion to avoid pain is termed the nocifensive response. As the nocifensive response is an ancient and evolutionarily conserved behavioral response to nociceptive stimuli, it is amenable to study in relatively simple and genetically tractable model systems such as Drosophila. Recent studies have taken advantage of the useful properties of Drosophila larvae to begin elucidating the neuronal connectivity and molecular machinery underlying the nocifensive response. However, these studies have primarily utilized the third-instar larval stage, and many mutations that potentially influence nociception survive only until earlier larval stages. Here we characterize the nocifensive responses of Drosophila throughout larval development and find dramatic changes in the nature of the behavior. Notably, we find that prior to the third instar, larvae are unable to perform the characteristic "corkscrew-like roll" behavior. Also, we identify an avoidance behavior consistent with a nocifensive response that is present immediately after larval hatching, representing a paradigm that may be useful in examining mutations with an early lethal phenotype.     

The circadian clock, light, and cryptochrome regulate feeding and metabolism in Drosophila

Recent studies in mammals have demonstrated a central role for the circadian clock in maintaining metabolic homeostasis. In spite of these advances, however, little is known about how these complex pathways are coordinated. Here, we show that fundamental aspects of the circadian control of metabolism are conserved in the fruit fly Drosophila. We assay feeding behavior and basic metabolite levels in individual flies and show that, like mammals, Drosophila display a rapid increase in circulating sugar following a meal, which is subsequently stored in the form of glycogen. These daily rhythms in carbohydrate levels are disrupted in clock mutants, demonstrating a critical role for the circadian clock in the postprandial response to feeding. We also show that basic metabolite levels are coordinated in a clock-dependent manner and that clock function is required to maintain lipid homeostasis. By examining feeding behavior, we show that flies feed primarily during the first 4 hours of the day and that light suppresses a late day feeding bout through the cryptochrome photoreceptor. These studies demonstrate that central aspects of feeding and metabolism are dependent on the circadian clock in Drosophila. Our work also uncovers novel roles for light and cryptochrome on both feeding behavior and metabolism.     

Allocrine modulation of feeding behavior by the Sex Peptide of Drosophila

Mating elicits a dramatic reprogramming of female behavior in numerous insect species. In Drosophila, this postmating response (PMR) comprises increased egg-laying rate and reduced sexual receptivity and is controlled by the products of the male accessory glands, a family of approximately 80 small peptides transferred in the male seminal fluid . Here, we show that copulation strongly stimulates female food intake. Remarkably, this change is abolished if the males lack a single, small seminal protein, the Sex Peptide (SP). Ectopic expression of SP in virgin females mimics the effect of mating on feeding behavior, demonstrating that SP is the main agent controlling this behavioral paradigm. Our observations identify enhanced feeding behavior as a novel component of the Drosophila PMR and suggest that SP represents a molecular link between energy acquisition and reproductive investment.     

果蝇求偶行为的影响因素及其分子基础

果蝇Drosophila melanogaster Meigen是进行行为遗传学研究的极好材料。果蝇的雄性求偶行为已经被作为行为遗传学研究的模式。文章简要介绍近年来在遗传和分子水平上对果蝇性信息素和求偶行为的研究进展,尤其是突变体在果蝇行为遗传学研究中的应用。通过对果蝇求偶行为的分析,分别介绍果蝇的性信息素及视觉、听觉、嗅觉和味觉相关基因在果蝇求偶和交配行为过程中的作用。     

Dosage Effects of a Drosophila Sodium Channel Gene on Behavior and Axonal Excitability

The effects of para mutations on behavior and axonal excitability in Drosophila suggested that para specifically affects sodium channels. This hypothesis was confirmed by molecular analysis of the para locus, which demonstrates that the encoded para product is a sodium channel polypeptide. Here we characterize the effects of altered para+ dosage on behavior and axonal excitability, both in an otherwise wild-type background and in combination with two other mutations: napts, which also affects sodium channels, and ShKS133, which specifically affects potassium channels. Whereas it was previously shown that decreased dosage of para+ is unconditionally lethal in a napts background, we find that increased dosage of para+ suppresses napts. Similarly, we find that para hypomorphs or decreased dosage of para+ suppresses ShKS133, whereas increased dosage of para+ enhances ShKS133). The electrophysiological basis for these effects is investigated. Other genes in Drosophila that have sequence homology to sodium channels do not show such dosage effects, which suggests that the para+ product has a function distinct from that of other putative Drosophila sodium channel genes. We conclude that the number of sodium channels present in at least some Drosophila neurons can be affected by changes in para+ gene dosage, and that the level of para+ expression can strongly influence neuronal excitability.