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Peedikayil-Kurien S, Setty H, Oren-Suissa M. Environmental experiences shape sexually dimorphic neuronal circuits and behaviour. FEBS J 2024; 291:1080-1101. [PMID: 36582142 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Dimorphic traits, shaped by both natural and sexual selection, ensure optimal fitness and survival of the organism. This includes neuronal circuits that are largely affected by different experiences and environmental conditions. Recent evidence suggests that sexual dimorphism of neuronal circuits extends to different levels such as neuronal activity, connectivity and molecular topography that manifest in response to various experiences, including chemical exposures, starvation and stress. In this review, we propose some common principles that govern experience-dependent sexually dimorphic circuits in both vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. While sexually dimorphic neuronal circuits are predetermined, they have to maintain a certain level of fluidity to be adaptive to different experiences. The first layer of dimorphism is at the level of the neuronal circuit, which appears to be dictated by sex-biased transcription factors. This could subsequently lead to differences in the second layer of regulation namely connectivity and synaptic properties. The third regulator of experience-dependent responses is the receptor level, where dimorphic expression patterns determine the primary sensory encoding. We also highlight missing pieces in this field and propose future directions that can shed light onto novel aspects of sexual dimorphism with potential benefits to sex-specific therapeutic approaches. Thus, sexual identity and experience simultaneously determine behaviours that ultimately result in the maximal survival success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hagar Setty
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Meital Oren-Suissa
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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2
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Amin H, Nolte SS, Swain B, von Philipsborn AC. GABAergic signaling shapes multiple aspects of Drosophila courtship motor behavior. iScience 2023; 26:108069. [PMID: 37860694 PMCID: PMC10583093 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory neurons are essential for orchestrating and structuring behavior. We use one of the best studied behaviors in Drosophila, male courtship, to analyze how inhibitory, GABAergic neurons shape the different steps of this multifaceted motor sequence. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the GABA-producing enzyme GAD1 and the ionotropic receptor Rdl in sex specific, fruitless expressing neurons in the ventral nerve cord causes uncoordinated and futile copulation attempts, defects in wing extension choice and severe alterations of courtship song. Altered song of GABA depleted males fails to stimulate female receptivity, but rescue of song patterning alone is not sufficient to rescue male mating success. Knockdown of GAD1 and Rdl in male brain circuits abolishes courtship conditioning. We characterize the around 220 neurons coexpressing GAD1 and Fruitless in the Drosophila male nervous system and propose inhibitory circuit motifs underlying key features of courtship behavior based on the observed phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoger Amin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Stella S. Nolte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bijayalaxmi Swain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne C. von Philipsborn
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Department of Biomedicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE), Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Medicine Section, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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Seong KH, Uemura T, Kang S. Road to sexual maturity: Behavioral event schedule from eclosion to first mating in each sex of Drosophila melanogaster. iScience 2023; 26:107502. [PMID: 37636050 PMCID: PMC10448111 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals achieve their first mating through the process of sexual maturation. This study examined the precise and detailed timing of a series of behavioral events, including wing expansion, first feeding, first excretion, and courtship, during sexual maturation from eclosion to first mating in D. melanogaster. We found that the time of first mating is genetically invariant and is not affected by light/dark cycle or food intake after eclosion. We also found sexual dimorphism in locomotor activity after eclosion, with females increasing locomotor activity earlier than males. In addition, we found a time rapidly changing from extremely low to high sexual activity in males post eclosion (named "drastic male courtship arousal" or DMCA). These behavioral traits leading up to the first mating could serve as clear indicators of sexual maturation and establish precisely timed developmental landmarks to explore further the mechanisms underlying the integration of behavioral and physiological sexual maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki-Hyeon Seong
- Department of Liberal Arts and Human Development, Kanagawa University of Human Services, 1-10-1 Heiseicho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 238-8522, Japan
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)-CREST, AMED, 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uemura
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Center for Living Systems Information Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)-CREST, AMED, 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Siu Kang
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)-CREST, AMED, 1-7-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
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Petrović M, Meštrović A, Andretić Waldowski R, Filošević Vujnović A. A network-based analysis detects cocaine-induced changes in social interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0275795. [PMID: 36952449 PMCID: PMC10035901 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Addiction is a multifactorial biological and behavioral disorder that is studied using animal models, based on simple behavioral responses in isolated individuals. A couple of decades ago it was shown that Drosophila melanogaster can serve as a model organism for behaviors related to alcohol, nicotine and cocaine (COC) addiction. Scoring of COC-induced behaviors in a large group of flies has been technologically challenging, so we have applied a local, middle and global level of network-based analyses to study social interaction networks (SINs) among a group of 30 untreated males compared to those that have been orally administered with 0.50 mg/mL of COC for 24 hours. In this study, we have confirmed the previously described increase in locomotion upon COC feeding. We have isolated new network-based measures associated with COC, and influenced by group on the individual behavior. COC fed flies showed a longer duration of interactions on the local level, and formed larger, more densely populated and compact, communities at the middle level. Untreated flies have a higher number of interactions with other flies in a group at the local level, and at the middle level, these interactions led to the formation of separated communities. Although the network density at the global level is higher in COC fed flies, at the middle level the modularity is higher in untreated flies. One COC specific behavior that we have isolated was an increase in the proportion of individuals that do not interact with the rest of the group, considered as the individual difference in COC induced behavior and/or consequence of group influence on individual behavior. Our approach can be expanded on different classes of drugs with the same acute response as COC to determine drug specific network-based measures and could serve as a tool to determinate genetic and environmental factors that influence both drug addiction and social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Petrović
- Department of Informatics, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ana Meštrović
- Department of Informatics, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Rozi Andretić Waldowski
- Department of Biotechnology, Laboratory for behavioral genetics, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ana Filošević Vujnović
- Department of Biotechnology, Laboratory for behavioral genetics, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
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Meiselman MR, Ganguly A, Dahanukar A, Adams ME. Endocrine modulation of primary chemosensory neurons regulates Drosophila courtship behavior. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010357. [PMID: 35998183 PMCID: PMC9439213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The decision to engage in courtship depends on external cues from potential mates and internal cues related to maturation, health, and experience. Hormones allow for coordinated conveyance of such information to peripheral tissues. Here, we show Ecdysis-Triggering Hormone (ETH) is critical for courtship inhibition after completion of copulation in Drosophila melanogaster. ETH deficiency relieves post-copulation courtship inhibition (PCCI) and increases male-male courtship. ETH appears to modulate perception and attractiveness of potential mates by direct action on primary chemosensory neurons. Knockdown of ETH receptor (ETHR) expression in GR32A-expressing neurons leads to reduced ligand sensitivity and elevated male-male courtship. We find OR67D also is critical for normal levels of PCCI after mating. ETHR knockdown in OR67D-expressing neurons or GR32A-expressing neurons relieves PCCI. Finally, ETHR silencing in the corpus allatum (CA), the sole source of juvenile hormone, also relieves PCCI; treatment with the juvenile hormone analog methoprene partially restores normal post-mating behavior. We find that ETH, a stress-sensitive reproductive hormone, appears to coordinate multiple sensory modalities to guide Drosophila male courtship behaviors, especially after mating. The decision of when to reproduce is paramount for organismal survival. In models like mice and flies, we have a comprehensive understanding of neuronal substrates for perception of mates and courtship drive, but how these substrates adapt to malleable internal and external environments remains unclear. Here, we show that post-mating refractoriness depends upon a peptide hormone, Ecdysis-Triggering Hormone (ETH). We show repression of courtship toward recently-mated females depends upon pheromone cues and that ETH deficiency impairs perception of female matedness. ETH signaling appears to promote the activity and function of pheromone-sensing primary olfactory and gustatory sensory neurons. Additionally, ETH sets internal levels of Juvenile Hormone, a hormone known to inhibit courtship drive in flies. Elimination of ETH or its receptor in primary sensory neurons or the glandular source of Juvenile Hormone reduces male post-copulation courtship inhibition (PCCI), causing continued courtship toward female counterparts after successful mating. Our data suggest ETH and its targets are critical for post-mating refractoriness in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Meiselman
- Graduate Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MRM); (MEA)
| | - Anindya Ganguly
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Anupama Dahanukar
- Graduate Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Michael E. Adams
- Graduate Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MRM); (MEA)
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Croce AC, Scolari F. Autofluorescent Biomolecules in Diptera: From Structure to Metabolism and Behavior. Molecules 2022; 27:4458. [PMID: 35889334 PMCID: PMC9318335 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Light-based phenomena in insects have long attracted researchers’ attention. Surface color distribution patterns are commonly used for taxonomical purposes, while optically-active structures from Coleoptera cuticle or Lepidoptera wings have inspired technological applications, such as biosensors and energy accumulation devices. In Diptera, besides optically-based phenomena, biomolecules able to fluoresce can act as markers of bio-metabolic, structural and behavioral features. Resilin or chitinous compounds, with their respective blue or green-to-red autofluorescence (AF), are commonly related to biomechanical and structural properties, helpful to clarify the mechanisms underlying substrate adhesion of ectoparasites’ leg appendages, or the antennal abilities in tuning sound detection. Metarhodopsin, a red fluorescing photoproduct of rhodopsin, allows to investigate visual mechanisms, whereas NAD(P)H and flavins, commonly relatable to energy metabolism, favor the investigation of sperm vitality. Lipofuscins are AF biomarkers of aging, as well as pteridines, which, similarly to kynurenines, are also exploited in metabolic investigations. Beside the knowledge available in Drosophila melanogaster, a widely used model to study also human disorder and disease mechanisms, here we review optically-based studies in other dipteran species, including mosquitoes and fruit flies, discussing future perspectives for targeted studies with various practical applications, including pest and vector control.
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Gordus A. Social behavior: Using visual cues to guide dancing on the fly. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R284-R287. [PMID: 35349817 PMCID: PMC10484333 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative behavioral analysis of Drosophila courtship reveals that visual cues of a female's body influence which actions a male performs during courtship. These actions in turn influence female actions, producing a mutual synchronization of courtship between male and female flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gordus
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Pan Y, Li W, Deng Z, Sun Y, Ma X, Liang R, Guo X, Sun Y, Li W, Jiao R, Xue L. Myc suppresses male-male courtship in Drosophila. EMBO J 2022; 41:e109905. [PMID: 35167135 PMCID: PMC8982623 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2021109905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite strong natural selection on species, same-sex sexual attraction is widespread across animals, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we report that the proto-oncogene Myc is required in dopaminergic neurons to inhibit Drosophila male-male courtship. Loss of Myc, either by mutation or neuro-specific knockdown, induced males' courtship propensity toward other males. Our genetic screen identified DOPA decarboxylase (Ddc) as a downstream target of Myc. While loss of Ddc abrogated Myc depletion-induced male-male courtship, Ddc overexpression sufficed to trigger such behavior. Furthermore, Myc-depleted males exhibited elevated dopamine level in a Ddc-dependent manner, and their male-male courtship was blocked by depleting the dopamine receptor DopR1. Moreover, Myc directly inhibits Ddc transcription by binding to a target site in the Ddc promoter, and deletion of this site by genome editing was sufficient to trigger male-male courtship. Finally, drug-mediated Myc depletion in adult neurons by GeneSwitch technique sufficed to elicit male-male courtship. Thus, this study uncovered a novel function of Myc in preventing Drosophila male-male courtship, and supports the crucial roles of genetic factors in inter-male sexual behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Pan
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Wanzhen Li
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Zhu Deng
- Sino‐French Hoffmann InstituteGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yihao Sun
- Zhuhai Precision Medical CenterGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Interventional Diagnosis and TreatmentZhuhai People's HospitalZhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan UniversityZhuhaiChina
| | - Xianjue Ma
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang ProvinceSchool of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Ruijuan Liang
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xiaowei Guo
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ying Sun
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Wenzhe Li
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Renjie Jiao
- Sino‐French Hoffmann InstituteGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Lei Xue
- The First Rehabilitation Hospital of ShanghaiShanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Diseases ResearchSchool of Life Science and TechnologyTongji UniversityShanghaiChina,Zhuhai Precision Medical CenterGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Interventional Diagnosis and TreatmentZhuhai People's HospitalZhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan UniversityZhuhaiChina
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Mahishi D, Triphan T, Hesse R, Huetteroth W. The Panopticon-Assessing the Effect of Starvation on Prolonged Fly Activity and Place Preference. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:640146. [PMID: 33841109 PMCID: PMC8026880 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.640146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal behaviours are demonstrably governed by sensory stimulation, previous experience and internal states like hunger. With increasing hunger, priorities shift towards foraging and feeding. During foraging, flies are known to employ efficient path integration strategies. However, general long-term activity patterns for both hungry and satiated flies in conditions of foraging remain to be better understood. Similarly, little is known about how permanent contact chemosensory stimulation affects locomotion. To address these questions, we have developed a novel, simplistic fly activity tracking setup—the Panopticon. Using a 3D-printed Petri dish inset, our assay allows recording of walking behaviour, of several flies in parallel, with all arena surfaces covered by a uniform substrate layer. We tested two constellations of providing food: (i) in single patches and (ii) omnipresent within the substrate layer. Fly tracking is done with FIJI, further assessment, analysis and presentation is done with a custom-built MATLAB analysis framework. We find that starvation history leads to a long-lasting reduction in locomotion, as well as a delayed place preference for food patches which seems to be not driven by immediate hunger motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepthi Mahishi
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tilman Triphan
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ricarda Hesse
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wolf Huetteroth
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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