Possible gain/loss of synaptic connection underlying reproductive isolation

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K22453
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 45:Biology at organismal to population levels and anthropology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Ishikawa Yuki 名古屋大学, 理学研究科, 講師 (70722940)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 配偶者選好性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Differentiation of mating preference drives further phenotypic evolution through reproductive isolation and sexual selection. Changes in information processing in neural network are thought to be important for the preference differentiation, but the mechanism has been largely unknown due to the complexity of the neural circuitry. In this study, we aimed to elucidate this mechanism using two related Drosophila species as a model, in which reproductively isolated by the difference of pheromone preference. We compared the morphology, function and synaptic connections of seven different neural populations that constitute the neural circuitry associated with pheromone preference between Drosophila melanogaster and hybrids, and identified the possible lost of synaptic connections lost in hybrids.

Free Research Field

進化生物学、神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

同種を配偶相手として好み、異種を避ける性質（同種に対する配偶者選好性）は、さまざまな動物に広く保存されている。一方で、配偶者選好性は種分化に伴い、速やかに分化する。どのような神経回路の変化が、この分化を実現しているのだろうか？本研究では、神経科学や遺伝学のモデル生物であり、遺伝学的ツールや神経回路情報の豊富なショウジョウバエを使い、この問いに挑んだ。その結果、神経回路内の特定の神経接続の喪失が配偶者選好性の進化に重要であった可能性を明らかにした。