Drosophila cuticular hydrocarbons revisited: mating status alters cuticular profiles.
Most living organisms use pheromones for inter-individual communication. In Drosophila melanogaster flies, several pheromones perceived either by contact/at a short distance (cuticular hydrocarbons, CHs), or at a longer distance (cis-vaccenyl acetate, cVA), affect courtship and mating behaviours. However, it has not previously been possible to precisely identify all potential pheromonal compounds and simultaneously monitor their variation on a time scale. To overcome this limitation, we combined Solid Phase Micro-Extraction with gas-chromatography coupled with mass-spectrometry. This allowed us (i) to identify 59 cuticular compounds, including 17 new CHs; (ii) to precisely quantify the amount of each compound that could be detected by another fly, and (iii) to measure the variation of these substances as a function of aging and mating. Sex-specific variation appeared with age, while mating affected cuticular compounds in both sexes with three possible patterns: variation was (i) reciprocal in the two sexes, suggesting a passive mechanical transfer during mating, (ii) parallel in both sexes, such as for cVA which strikingly appeared during mating, or (iii) unilateral, presumably as a result of sexual interaction. We provide a complete reassessment of all Drosophila CHs and suggest that the chemical conversation between male and female flies is far more complex than is generally accepted. We conclude that focusing on individual compounds will not provide a satisfactory understanding of the evolution and function of chemical communication in Drosophila.
Everaerts
Claude
C
Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-6265 CNRS, UMR-1324 INRA, Université de Bourgogne, Agrosup, Dijon, France. Claude.Everaerts@u-bourgogne.fr
Farine
Jean-Pierre
JP
Cobb
Matthew
M
Ferveur
Jean-François
JF
D000818:Animals; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006586:Hexanes / Q000737:chemistry; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D010675:Pheromones / Q000737:chemistry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction
D006586:Hexanes; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010675:Pheromones