Neuropeptide F regulates courtship in Drosophila through a male-specific neuronal circuit

Abstract
Data availability
Article and author information
Metrics

Abstract

Male courtship is provoked by perception of a potential mate. In addition, the likelihood and intensity of courtship are influenced by recent mating experience, which affects sexual drive. Using Drosophila melanogaster, we found that the homolog of mammalian neuropeptide Y, neuropeptide F (NPF), and a cluster of male-specific NPF (NPF^M) neurons, regulate courtship through affecting courtship drive. Disrupting NPF signaling produces sexually hyperactive males, which are resistant to sexual satiation, and whose courtship is triggered by sub-optimal stimuli. We found that NPF^M neurons make synaptic connections with P1 neurons, which comprise the courtship decision center. Activation of P1 neurons elevates NPF^Mneuronal activity, which then act through NPF receptor neurons to suppress male courtship, and maintain the proper level of male courtship drive.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files.

Article and author information

Author details

Weiwei Liu

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-5082-9114
Anindya Ganguly

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Jia Huang

Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-8336-1562
Yijin Wang

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Jinfei D Ni

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-7004-1241
Adishthi S Gurav

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Morris A Aguilar

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Craig Montell

Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

For correspondence
cmontell@ucsb.edu

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-5637-1482

Funding

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC007864)

Craig Montell

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (DP1AI124453)

Craig Montell

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.