Feminizing cholinergic neurons in a male Drosophila nervous system enhances aggression.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies in Drosophila have demonstrated that whether flies fight like males or females can be switched by selectively manipulating genes of the sex determination hierarchy in male and female nervous systems. Here we extend these studies by demonstrating that changing the sex of cholinergic neurons in male fruit fly nervous systems via expression of the transformer gene increases the levels of aggression shown by the flies without altering the way the flies fight. Transformer manipulation in this way does not change phototaxis, geotaxis, locomotion or odor avoidance of the mutant males compared to controls. Cholinergic neurons must be feminized via this route during the late larval/early pupal stages of development to show the enhanced aggression phenotype. Other investigators have

SUBMITTER: Mundiyanapurath S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2831085 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul-Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature