Sex and Death: Identification of Feedback Neuromodulation Balancing Reproduction and Survival
Sex and Death: Identification of Feedback Neuromodulation Balancing Reproduction and Survival
复制标题
DOI：
10.1007/s12264-020-00604-5
复制
发表时间：
2020-11-11
影响因子：
5.6
通讯作者：
Pan, Yufeng
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gao, Can;Guo, Chao;Pan, Yufeng
在自然界中，一些半生殖生物在死亡前的一次繁殖中尽可能多地交配，而包括人类在内的大多数两栖物种都避免这种自杀式的繁殖行为。动物自然地追求更多的性行为，而过度的性行为可能造成的致命后果，一定是由非透明物种的负反馈信号精心策划的，但对其调节机制知之甚少。本研究以果蝇的雄性性行为为模型系统，研究过度的性行为如何杀死雄性，以及神经系统如何作出反应以防止因性而死亡。我们发现，通过激活无结果表达的神经元，持续的性活动诱导了一个固定的多步骤行为模式，最终以雄性死亡告终。我们进一步发现，果蝇大脑中的负反馈通过改变神经递质乙酰胆碱、γ -氨基丁酸和神经肽f的表达来防止自杀性行为。这些发现对于理解不同生物如何选择生殖策略并平衡繁殖和生存的分子基础至关重要。
Some semelparous organisms in nature mate as many times as they can in a single reproductive episode before death, while most iteroparous species including humans avoid such suicidal reproductive behavior. Animals naturally pursue more sex and the possible fatal consequence of excessive sex must be orchestrated by negative feedback signals in iteroparous species, yet very little is known about the regulatory mechanisms. Here we used Drosophila male sexual behavior as a model system to study how excessive sex may kill males and how the nervous system reacts to prevent death by sex. We found that continuous sexual activity by activating the fruitless-expressing neurons induced a fixed multi-step behavioral pattern ending with male death. We further found negative feedback in the fly brain to prevent suicidal sexual behavior by expression changes of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid, and neuropeptide F. These findings are crucial to understand the molecular underpinnings of how different organisms choose reproductive strategies and balance reproduction and survival.