title: An inhibitory sex pheromone tastes bitter for Drosophila males.
abstract: Sexual behavior requires animals to distinguish between the sexes and to respond appropriately to each of them. In Drosophila melanogaster, as in many insects, cuticular hydrocarbons are thought to be involved in sex recognition and in mating behavior, but there is no direct neuronal evidence of their pheromonal effect. Using behavioral and electrophysiological measures of responses to natural and synthetic compounds, we show that Z-7-tricosene, a Drosophila male cuticular hydrocarbon, acts as a sex pheromone and inhibits male-male courtship. These data provide the first direct demonstration that an insect cuticular hydrocarbon is detected as a sex pheromone. Intriguingly, we show that a particular type of gustatory neurons of the labial palps respond both to Z-7-tricosene and to bitter stimuli. Cross-adaptation between Z-7-tricosene and bitter stimuli further indicates that these two very different substances are processed by the same neural pathways. Furthermore, the two substances induced similar behavioral responses both in courtship and feeding tests. We conclude that the inhibitory pheromone tastes bitter to the fly.
authors: Université de Bourgogne, CNRS-UMR5548, Dijon, France.
authors: Fabien
authors: F
authors: Lacaille
authors: Makoto
authors: M
authors: Hiroi
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Twele
authors: Tsuyoshi
authors: T
authors: Inoshita
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Umemoto
authors: Gérard
authors: G
authors: Manière
authors: Frédéric
authors: F
authors: Marion-Poll
authors: Mamiko
authors: M
authors: Ozaki
authors: Wittko
authors: W
authors: Francke
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Cobb
authors: Claude
authors: C
authors: Everaerts
authors: Teiichi
authors: T
authors: Tanimura
authors: Jean-François
authors: JF
authors: Ferveur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005838:Genotype; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D008029:Lighting; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012724:Sex Attractants; D002110:Caffeine
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