A single class of olfactory neurons mediates behavioural responses to a Drosophila sex pheromone
A single class of olfactory neurons mediates behavioural responses to a Drosophila sex pheromone
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DOI：
10.1038/nature05672
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发表时间：
2007-03-29
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Dickson, Barry J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kurtovic, Amina;Widmer, Alexandre;Dickson, Barry J.
昆虫，像许多其他动物一样，利用性信息素来协调它们的繁殖行为。挥发性信息素是由嗅觉受体神经元中表达的气味受体检测到的。水果气味通常会激活多个ORN3类(2)，而信息素则被认为是通过单一的ORN3类起作用。该模型预测，激活这样一个ORN类应该足以触发适当的行为反应。本研究表明，黑腹果蝇的雄性特异性信息素11-顺式醋酸乙烯酯（cVA）通过受体Or67d来调节雄性和雌性的交配行为。缺乏Or67d的突变雄性会不恰当地向其他雄性求爱，而突变雌性则不太愿意向雄性求爱。这些数据表明，cVA在两性中有相反的作用：抑制雄性的交配行为，但促进雌性的交配行为。用蛾子信息素受体代替Or67d使这些orn对相应的蛾子信息素敏感。在这些果蝇中，飞蛾信息素引起的行为反应模仿了对cVA的正常反应。因此，单个ORN类的激活对于介导果蝇性信息素cVA的行为反应是必要和充分的。
Insects, like many other animals, use sex pheromones to coordinate their reproductive behaviours(1). Volatile pheromones are detected by odorant receptors expressed in olfactory receptor neurons ( ORNs). Whereas fruit odours typically activate multiple ORN classes(2), pheromones are thought to act through single dedicated classes of ORN3. This model predicts that activation of such an ORN class should be sufficient to trigger the appropriate behavioural response. Here we show that the Drosophila melanogaster male-specific pheromone 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate ( cVA) acts through the receptor Or67d to regulate both male and female mating behaviour. Mutant males that lack Or67d inappropriately court other males, whereas mutant females are less receptive to courting males. These data suggest that cVA has opposite effects in the two sexes: inhibiting mating behaviour in males but promoting mating behaviour in females. Replacing Or67d with moth pheromone receptors renders these ORNs sensitive to the corresponding moth pheromones. In such flies, moth pheromones elicit behavioural responses that mimic the normal response to cVA. Thus, activation of a single ORN class is both necessary and sufficient to mediate behavioural responses to the Drosophila sex pheromone cVA.