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SUMMARY:&quot\;Who is he\, and what is he to you?&quot\; Dissecting recogn
 ition\, social experience and their effects on the sexual behaviour of D. 
 melanogaster - Jean-Christophe Billeter\, Dept Biology\, University of Tor
 onto
DTSTART:20100222T110000Z
DTEND:20100222T120000Z
UID:TALK23438@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Greg Jefferis
DESCRIPTION:Abstract for Jean-Christophe's most "recent paper":http://www.
 nature.com/nature/journal/v461/n7266/full/nature08495.html\n\n\nSocial int
 eractions depend on individuals recognizing each other\, and in this conte
 xt many organisms use chemical signals to indicate species and sex1. Cutic
 ular hydrocarbon signals are used by insects\, including Drosophila melano
 gaster\, to distinguish conspecific individuals from others. These chemica
 ls also contribute to intraspecific courtship and mating interactions. How
 ever\, the possibility that sex and species identification are linked by c
 ommon chemical signalling mechanisms has not been formally tested. \n\nHer
 e we provide direct evidence that a single compound is used to communicate
  female identity among D. melanogaster\, and to define a reproductive isol
 ation barrier between D. melanogaster and sibling species. A transgenic ma
 nipulation eliminated cuticular hydrocarbons by ablating the oenocytes\, s
 pecialized cells required for the expression of these chemical signals. Th
 e resulting oenocyte-less (oe-) females elicited the normal repertoire of 
 courtship behaviours from males\, but were actually preferred over wild-ty
 pe females by courting males. In addition\, wild-type males attempted to c
 opulate with oe- males. Thus\, flies lacking hydrocarbons are a sexual hyp
 erstimulus. \n\nTreatment of virgin females with the aversive male pheromo
 ne cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) significantly delayed mating of oe- females 
 compared to wild-type females. This difference was eliminated when oe- fem
 ales were treated with a blend of cVA and the female aphrodisiac (7Z\,11Z)
  heptacosadiene (7\,11 HD)\, showing that female aphrodisiac compounds can
  attenuate the effects of male aversive pheromones. 7\,11 HD also was show
 n to have a crucial role in heterospecific encounters. Specifically\, the 
 species barrier was lost because males of other Drosophila species courted
  oe- D. melanogaster females\, and D. simulans males consistently mated wi
 th them. Treatment of oe- females with 7\,11 HD restored the species barri
 er\, showing that a single compound can confer species identity. These res
 ults identify a common mechanism for sexual and species recognition regula
 ted by cuticular hydrocarbons.\n
LOCATION:MRC LMB: Neurobiology Division Seminar Room (Level 2)
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