Multimodal Chemosensory Circuits Controlling Male Courtship in Drosophila.
Throughout the animal kingdom, internal states generate long-lasting and self-perpetuating chains of behavior. In Drosophila, males instinctively pursue females with a lengthy and elaborate courtship ritual triggered by activation of sexually dimorphic P1 interneurons. Gustatory pheromones are thought to activate P1 neurons but the circuit mechanisms that dictate their sensory responses to gate entry into courtship remain unknown. Here, we use circuit mapping and in vivo functional imaging techniques to trace gustatory and olfactory pheromone circuits to their point of convergence onto P1 neurons and reveal how their combined input underlies selective tuning to appropriate sexual partners. We identify inhibition, even in response to courtship-promoting pheromones, as a key circuit element that tunes and tempers P1 neuron activity. Our results suggest a circuit mechanism in which balanced excitation and inhibition underlie discrimination of prospective mates and stringently regulate the transition to courtship in Drosophila.
Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
E Josephine
EJ
Clowney
Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Shinya
S
Iguchi
Department of Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Jennifer J
JJ
Bussell
Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Elias
E
Scheer
Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA. Electronic address: ruta@rockefeller.edu.
Vanessa
V
Ruta
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D057506:Arthropod Antennae / Q000166:cytology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003380:Courtship; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics; D010675:Pheromones / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014966:Xanthenes / Q000378:metabolism
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C557617:GAL4 protein, Drosophila; D010675:Pheromones; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014966:Xanthenes; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; C034657:Texas red; D000109:Acetylcholine