Postcoital finesse.
Mating changes female reproductive behavior in profound ways. In Drosophila, the trigger for this behavioral switch is a small peptide called sex peptide (SP), which is transferred with the male seminal fluid during insemination. Two papers in this issue of Neuron (Häsemayer et al. and Yang et al.) show that SP inhibits a small set of internal sensory neurons in the female genital tract. These neurons project to the CNS to control the female's reproductive behavior.
Clyne
J Dylan
JD
Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Miesenböck
Gero
G
D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology*; D007314:Insemination; D008297:Male; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; C526291:sex peptide receptor, Drosophila; C056736:SP protein, Drosophila; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins