Fruitless decommissions regulatory elements to implement cell-type-specific neuronal masculinization.

ABSTRACT: In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, male-specific splicing and translation of the Fruitless transcription factor (FruM) alters the presence, anatomy, and/or connectivity of >60 types of central brain neurons that interconnect to generate male-typical behaviors. While the indispensable function of FruM in sex-specific behavior has been understood for decades, the molecular mechanisms underlying its activity remain unknown. Here, we take a genome-wide, brain-wide approach to identifying regulatory elements whose activity depends on the presence of FruM. We identify 436 high-confidence genomic regions differentially accessible in male fruitless neurons, validate candidate regions as bona fide, differentially regulated enhancers, and describe the particular cell types in which these enha

SUBMITTER: Brovkina MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7924761 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature