The Molecular Genetics of Male Behavior of Drosophila

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).How the brain works is an important and complicated question. One of the many functions of the brain is to regulate complex behaviors, such as behaviors that govern the interaction among individuals. It is known that behavior is guided by both genes and the environment, and that these two influences interact closely. In addition, brain function is also regulated by hormones in ways that are not well understood. This project studies such hormone-like factors and their influence on the mating behavior of fruit flies, a model organism that has very powerful genetic and molecular tools available to experimentally test mechanisms underlying function. This allows easier examination and manipulation of these factors. Mutant flies will be made that lack them, and they will be observed to study how that changes the mating behavior of the fly. It is possible to draw general conclusions from these studies, because hormonal factors work similarly in many organisms. In addition, the project examines another important question: How these factors can get through the blood brain barrier, a cell layer that protects the brain in most higher organisms, including humans. These studies will give insight into the ways hormones affect the brain, and how this influences behavior. Ultimately, they will help to better understand how the brain works. These studies will be performed at one of the most diverse Universities in the United States that educates many students from underrepresented groups. Both undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the research and be trained in how to perform scientific studies.