The genetic and neural basis of female behaviours in Drosophila.

果蝇雌性行为的遗传和神经基础。

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06464
• 负责人: Moehring, Amanda
• 金额: $ 5.03万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=718343
• 关键词: genetic; neural; basis; female; behaviours

Identifying the underlying genetic and neural basis of variation in complex behaviour remains a primary goal, and challenge, in behavioral biology. The proposed research program identifies single genetic changes, individual neurons, and the neural circuitry underlying variation in complex behavior. We focus on the poorly-understood, yet critical, traits of female mate rejection behaviour and female aggression, using the powerful genetic tools available within the Drosophila model system. The traits of mating behavior and aggression have been extensively studied at the genetic and neural level in males, but are poorly understood in females. Since female choice is more often the deciding factor in whether mating occurs, including preventing matings between closely-related species, and female aggression can be important for resource acquisition and reproduction, this gap in fundamental natural sciences knowledge limits our ability to make larger-scale evolutionary theories about the evolution of critical behavioural pathways and the effect of those pathways on speciation. This gap also prevents an exploration of whether there is divergence or cohesiveness in the formation of complex reproductive behaviours in males and females. To rectify this gap: (1) We will use targeted genetic changes to determine the specific genetic polymorphisms that underlie variation in female receptivity, focusing on two genes we previously identified as affecting variation in species-specific female mate rejection behavior. (2) We will identify the neurons that these two candidate genes are acting through to affect female rejection by targeting transcript knockdown in subsets of candidate neurons. (3) We will use cutting-edge tools to identify the upstream and downstream circuitry of a female rejection pathway we recently identified involving a single pair of octopamine neurons that induce active female rejection when the neurons are silenced. (4) We will use an array of Drosophila tools to identify the neurotransmitters and circuitry of female-specific aggression, focusing on a small cluster of neurons we recently identified that induce female-specific aggression when these neurons are hyper-activated; these same neurons induce courtship in males. Completion of these four objectives will provide the first characterization of a gene for female behaviours responsible for isolating species, the first identification of neurons affecting species isolation, the first fine-scale characterization of neurons and circuitry in the central nervous system for female mate rejection behavior, and the first characterization of neurons and circuitry for female-specific aggression. Understanding the genetic and neural basis of these key female-specific behaviours is essential if we are to have a complete perspective of how complex behaviours are generated.

确定复杂行为变异的基本遗传和神经基础仍然是行为生物学中的主要目标，并挑战。拟议的研究计划确定了复杂行为的单个遗传变化，单个神经元和神经回路。我们使用果蝇模型系统中可用的强大遗传工具，专注于女性伴侣拒绝行为和女性侵略性不佳但至关重要的特征。在男性的遗传和神经水平上，已经对交配行为和侵略性的特征进行了广泛的研究，但在女性中却鲜为人知。由于女性的选择更是交配是否发生的决定因素，包括防止与密切相关的物种之间的分配，而女性侵略对于资源获取和复制可能很重要，因此基本自然科学知识的这一差距限制了我们使对关键行为途径进化的大规模进化理论的能力，以及这些途径的效果。该差距还阻止了探索在男性和女性中复杂的生殖行为形成中是否存在差异或凝聚力的探索。为了纠正这一差距：（1）我们将使用靶向的遗传变化来确定女性接受性变异的特定遗传多态性，重点是我们先前确定的两个基因，因为我们以前鉴定为影响物种特异性女性伴侣排斥行为的变异。 （2）我们将确定这两个候选基因通过靶向候选神经元子集的转录敲低来影响女性排斥的神经元。 （3）我们将使用尖端工具来识别女性排斥途径的上游和下游电路，我们最近确定涉及一对章鱼神经元，当神经元沉默时会诱导主动雌性排斥。 （4）我们将使用一系列果蝇工具来识别女性特异性攻击的神经递质和电路，重点是一小群神经元，我们最近确定在过度激活这些神经元时会诱导女性特异性侵袭。这些相同的神经元在男性中引起求爱。 完成这四个目标的完成将为负责隔离物种的女性行为提供第一个特征，这是影响物种隔离的神经元的首次识别，中枢神经系统中神经元的第一个细尺度表征和对女性伴侣抑制行为的电路以及对女性特异性侵略的神经元和电路的首次表征。如果我们要完全了解如何产生复杂的行为，那么了解这些关键女性特定行为的遗传和神经基础至关重要。