Neural mechanism of regulation in reproductive behavior during sexual maturation in Drosophila females

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07141
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University of Education
• Principal Investigator: Kimura Ken-ichi 北海道教育大学, 教育学部, 教授 (80214873)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 昆虫 / 行動学 / 脳・神経 / 遺伝子 / ショウジョウバエ / 成熟 / 生殖行動 / ドーパミン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In Drosophila, a female exhibits a typical repertoire of reproductive behavior. After copulation, the mated female lays eggs, at which she bends her abdomen downward and inserts the ovipositor into the substrate. A sex determination factor, doublesex (dsx), establishes the neural circuitry underlying the female reproductive behavior. Here, we will address whether dopaminergic neurons modulate the reproductive behavior. A pale gene encodes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine synthesis. Activation of all pale-expressing neurons induced reproductive behavior in females. Also, activation of neurons co-expressing dsx and Dopamine receptors such as DopR or DopR2 induced parts of the reproductive behavior. Dopaminergic (pale-expressing) neurons possibly modulate the distinct sets of abdominal dsx-expressing neurons through the specific expression of the dopamine receptor, DopR or DopR2, that regulates the different elements of female reproductive behavior.

Free Research Field

生物学