1
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Ye D, Walsh JT, Junker IP, Ding Y. Changes in the cellular makeup of motor patterning circuits drive courtship song evolution in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2319-2329.e6. [PMID: 38688283 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
How evolutionary changes in genes and neurons encode species variation in complex motor behaviors is largely unknown. Here, we develop genetic tools that permit a neural circuit comparison between the model species Drosophila melanogaster and the closely related species D. yakuba, which has undergone a lineage-specific loss of sine song, one of the two major types of male courtship song in Drosophila. Neuroanatomical comparison of song-patterning neurons called TN1 across the phylogeny demonstrates a link between the loss of sine song and a reduction both in the number of TN1 neurons and the neurites supporting the sine circuit connectivity. Optogenetic activation confirms that TN1 neurons in D. yakuba have lost the ability to drive sine song, although they have maintained the ability to drive the singing wing posture. Single-cell transcriptomic comparison shows that D. yakuba specifically lacks a cell type corresponding to TN1A neurons, the TN1 subtype that is essential for sine song. Genetic and developmental manipulation reveals a functional divergence of the sex determination gene doublesex in D. yakuba to reduce TN1 number by promoting apoptosis. Our work illustrates the contribution of motor patterning circuits and cell type changes in behavioral evolution and uncovers the evolutionary lability of sex determination genes to reconfigure the cellular makeup of neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dajia Ye
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Justin T Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ian P Junker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yun Ding
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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2
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Lollar MJ, Kim E, Stern DL, Pool JE. Courtship song differs between African and European populations of Drosophila melanogaster and involves a strong effect locus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.594231. [PMID: 38798463 PMCID: PMC11118343 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.594231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The courtship song of Drosophila melanogaster has long served as excellent model system for studies of animal communication and differences in courtship song have been demonstrated among populations and between species. Here, we report that flies of African and European origin, which diverged approximately 13,000 years ago, show significant genetic differentiation in the use of slow versus fast pulse song. Using a combination of quantitative trait mapping and population genetic analysis we detected a single strong QTL underlying this trait and we identified candidate genes that may contribute to the evolution of this trait. Song trait variation between parental strains of our recombinant inbred panel enabled detection of genomic intervals associated with six additional song traits, some of which include known courtship-related genes. These findings improve the prospects for further genetic insights into the evolution of reproductive behavior and the biology underlying courtship song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Lollar
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Elizabeth Kim
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, 20147 USA
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, 20147 USA
| | - John E Pool
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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3
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Jiang NJ, Dong X, Veit D, Hansson BS, Knaden M. Elevated ozone disrupts mating boundaries in drosophilid flies. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2872. [PMID: 38605003 PMCID: PMC11009341 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47117-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals employ different strategies to establish mating boundaries between closely related species, with sex pheromones often playing a crucial role in identifying conspecific mates. Many of these pheromones have carbon-carbon double bonds, making them vulnerable to oxidation by certain atmospheric oxidant pollutants, including ozone. Here, we investigate whether increased ozone compromises species boundaries in drosophilid flies. We show that short-term exposure to increased levels of ozone degrades pheromones of Drosophila melanogaster, D. simulans, D. mauritiana, as well as D. sechellia, and induces hybridization between some of these species. As many of the resulting hybrids are sterile, this could result in local population declines. However, hybridization between D. simulans and D. mauritiana as well as D. simulans and D. sechellia results in fertile hybrids, of which some female hybrids are even more attractive to the males of the parental species. Our experimental findings indicate that ozone pollution could potentially induce breakdown of species boundaries in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Ji Jiang
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
- Next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Centre, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Xinqi Dong
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Daniel Veit
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Bill S Hansson
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
- Next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Centre, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Markus Knaden
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany.
- Next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Centre, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, D-07745, Jena, Germany.
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4
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Baker CA, Guan XJ, Choi M, Murthy M. The role of fruitless in specifying courtship behaviors across divergent Drosophila species. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk1273. [PMID: 38478605 PMCID: PMC10936877 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk1273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Sex-specific behaviors are critical for reproduction and species survival. The sex-specifically spliced transcription factor fruitless (fru) helps establish male courtship behaviors in invertebrates. Forcing male-specific fru (fruM) splicing in Drosophila melanogaster females produces male-typical behaviors while disrupting female-specific behaviors. However, whether fru's joint role in specifying male and inhibiting female behaviors is conserved across species is unknown. We used CRISPR-Cas9 to force FruM expression in female Drosophila virilis, a species in which males and females produce sex-specific songs. In contrast to D. melanogaster, in which one fruM allele is sufficient to generate male behaviors in females, two alleles are needed in D. virilis females. D. virilis females expressing FruM maintain the ability to sing female-typical song as well as lay eggs, whereas D. melanogaster FruM females cannot lay eggs. These results reveal potential differences in fru function between divergent species and underscore the importance of studying diverse behaviors and species for understanding the genetic basis of sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiao-Juan Guan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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5
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Sullivan LF, Barker MS, Felix PC, Vuong RQ, White BH. Neuromodulation and the toolkit for behavioural evolution: can ecdysis shed light on an old problem? FEBS J 2024; 291:1049-1079. [PMID: 36223183 PMCID: PMC10166064 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The geneticist Thomas Dobzhansky famously declared: 'Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution'. A key evolutionary adaptation of Metazoa is directed movement, which has been elaborated into a spectacularly varied number of behaviours in animal clades. The mechanisms by which animal behaviours have evolved, however, remain unresolved. This is due, in part, to the indirect control of behaviour by the genome, which provides the components for both building and operating the brain circuits that generate behaviour. These brain circuits are adapted to respond flexibly to environmental contingencies and physiological needs and can change as a function of experience. The resulting plasticity of behavioural expression makes it difficult to characterize homologous elements of behaviour and to track their evolution. Here, we evaluate progress in identifying the genetic substrates of behavioural evolution and suggest that examining adaptive changes in neuromodulatory signalling may be a particularly productive focus for future studies. We propose that the behavioural sequences used by ecdysozoans to moult are an attractive model for studying the role of neuromodulation in behavioural evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F Sullivan
- Section on Neural Function, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Matthew S Barker
- Section on Neural Function, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Princess C Felix
- Section on Neural Function, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Richard Q Vuong
- Section on Neural Function, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin H White
- Section on Neural Function, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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6
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Lillvis JL, Wang K, Shiozaki HM, Xu M, Stern DL, Dickson BJ. Nested neural circuits generate distinct acoustic signals during Drosophila courtship. Curr Biol 2024; 34:808-824.e6. [PMID: 38295797 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Many motor control systems generate multiple movements using a common set of muscles. How are premotor circuits able to flexibly generate diverse movement patterns? Here, we characterize the neuronal circuits that drive the distinct courtship songs of Drosophila melanogaster. Male flies vibrate their wings toward females to produce two different song modes-pulse and sine song-which signal species identity and male quality. Using cell-type-specific genetic reagents and the connectome, we provide a cellular and synaptic map of the circuits in the male ventral nerve cord that generate these songs and examine how activating or inhibiting each cell type within these circuits affects the song. Our data reveal that the song circuit is organized into two nested feedforward pathways with extensive reciprocal and feedback connections. The larger network produces pulse song, the more complex and ancestral song form. A subset of this network produces sine song, the simpler and more recent form. Such nested organization may be a common feature of motor control circuits in which evolution has layered increasing flexibility onto a basic movement pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Lillvis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
| | - Kaiyu Wang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Hiroshi M Shiozaki
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Min Xu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Barry J Dickson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia.
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7
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Ye D, Walsh JT, Junker IP, Ding Y. Changes in the cellular makeup of motor patterning circuits drive courtship song evolution in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.23.576861. [PMID: 38328135 PMCID: PMC10849698 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.23.576861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
How evolutionary changes in genes and neurons encode species variation in complex motor behaviors are largely unknown. Here, we develop genetic tools that permit a neural circuit comparison between the model species Drosophila melanogaster and the closely-related species D. yakuba, who has undergone a lineage-specific loss of sine song, one of the two major types of male courtship song in Drosophila. Neuroanatomical comparison of song patterning neurons called TN1 across the phylogeny demonstrates a link between the loss of sine song and a reduction both in the number of TN1 neurons and the neurites serving the sine circuit connectivity. Optogenetic activation confirms that TN1 neurons in D. yakuba have lost the ability to drive sine song, while maintaining the ability to drive the singing wing posture. Single-cell transcriptomic comparison shows that D. yakuba specifically lacks a cell type corresponding to TN1A neurons, the TN1 subtype that is essential for sine song. Genetic and developmental manipulation reveals a functional divergence of the sex determination gene doublesex in D. yakuba to reduce TN1 number by promoting apoptosis. Our work illustrates the contribution of motor patterning circuits and cell type changes in behavioral evolution, and uncovers the evolutionary lability of sex determination genes to reconfigure the cellular makeup of neural circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dajia Ye
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Justin T Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ian P Junker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yun Ding
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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8
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Li M, Chen DS, Junker IP, Szorenyi F, Chen GH, Berger AJ, Comeault AA, Matute DR, Ding Y. Ancestral neural circuits potentiate the origin of a female sexual behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.05.570174. [PMID: 38106147 PMCID: PMC10723342 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.570174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Courtship interactions are remarkably diverse in form and complexity among species. How neural circuits evolve to encode new behaviors that are functionally integrated into these dynamic social interactions is unknown. Here we report a recently originated female sexual behavior in the island endemic Drosophila species D. santomea, where females signal receptivity to male courtship songs by spreading their wings, which in turn promotes prolonged songs in courting males. Copulation success depends on this female signal and correlates with males' ability to adjust his singing in such a social feedback loop. Functional comparison of sexual circuitry across species suggests that a pair of descending neurons, which integrates male song stimuli and female internal state to control a conserved female abdominal behavior, drives wing spreading in D. santomea. This co-option occurred through the refinement of a pre-existing, plastic circuit that can be optogenetically activated in an outgroup species. Combined, our results show that the ancestral potential of a socially-tuned key circuit node to engage the wing motor program facilitates the expression of a new female behavior in appropriate sensory and motivational contexts. More broadly, our work provides insights into the evolution of social behaviors, particularly female behaviors, and the underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhao Li
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Dawn S Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ian P Junker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fabianna Szorenyi
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Guan Hao Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arnold J Berger
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aaron A Comeault
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Current address: School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Daniel R Matute
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yun Ding
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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9
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Sten TH, Li R, Hollunder F, Eleazer S, Ruta V. Male-male interactions shape mate selection in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.03.565582. [PMID: 37961193 PMCID: PMC10635267 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.03.565582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Males of many species have evolved behavioral traits to both attract females and repel rivals. Here, we explore mate selection in Drosophila from both the male and female perspective to shed light on how these key components of sexual selection - female choice and male-male competition - work in concert to guide reproductive strategies. We find that male flies fend off competing suitors by interleaving their courtship of a female with aggressive wing flicks, which both repel competitors and generate a 'song' that obscures the female's auditory perception of other potential mates. Two higher-order circuit nodes - P1a and pC1x neurons - are coordinately recruited to allow males to flexibly interleave these agonistic actions with courtship displays, assuring they persistently pursue females until their rival falters. Together, our results suggest that female mating decisions are shaped by male-male interactions, underscoring how a male's ability to subvert his rivals is central to his reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Hindmarsh Sten
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Present address: Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Rufei Li
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Florian Hollunder
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shadé Eleazer
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vanessa Ruta
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
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10
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Roemschied FA, Pacheco DA, Aragon MJ, Ireland EC, Li X, Thieringer K, Pang R, Murthy M. Flexible circuit mechanisms for context-dependent song sequencing. Nature 2023; 622:794-801. [PMID: 37821705 PMCID: PMC10600009 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06632-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Sequenced behaviours, including locomotion, reaching and vocalization, are patterned differently in different contexts, enabling animals to adjust to their environments. How contextual information shapes neural activity to flexibly alter the patterning of actions is not fully understood. Previous work has indicated that this could be achieved via parallel motor circuits, with differing sensitivities to context1,2. Here we demonstrate that a single pathway operates in two regimes dependent on recent sensory history. We leverage the Drosophila song production system3 to investigate the role of several neuron types4-7 in song patterning near versus far from the female fly. Male flies sing 'simple' trains of only one mode far from the female fly but complex song sequences comprising alternations between modes when near her. We find that ventral nerve cord (VNC) circuits are shaped by mutual inhibition and rebound excitability8 between nodes driving the two song modes. Brief sensory input to a direct brain-to-VNC excitatory pathway drives simple song far from the female, whereas prolonged input enables complex song production via simultaneous recruitment of functional disinhibition of VNC circuitry. Thus, female proximity unlocks motor circuit dynamics in the correct context. We construct a compact circuit model to demonstrate that the identified mechanisms suffice to replicate natural song dynamics. These results highlight how canonical circuit motifs8,9 can be combined to enable circuit flexibility required for dynamic communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic A Roemschied
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- European Neuroscience Institute, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Diego A Pacheco
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Max J Aragon
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Elise C Ireland
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Xinping Li
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Kyle Thieringer
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Rich Pang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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11
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Coleman RT, Morantte I, Koreman GT, Cheng ML, Ding Y, Ruta V. A modular circuit architecture coordinates the diversification of courtship strategies in Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.16.558080. [PMID: 37745588 PMCID: PMC10516016 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.16.558080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Identifying a mate is a central imperative for males of most species but poses the challenge of distinguishing a suitable partner from an array of potential male competitors or females of related species. Mate recognition systems are thus subject to strong selective pressures, driving the rapid coevolution of female sensory cues and male sensory preferences. Here we leverage the rapid evolution of female pheromones across the Drosophila genus to gain insight into how males coordinately adapt their detection and interpretation of these chemical cues to hone their mating strategies. While in some Drosophila species females produce unique pheromones that act to attract and arouse their conspecific males, the pheromones of most species are sexually monomorphic such that females possess no distinguishing chemosensory signatures that males can use for mate recognition. By comparing several close and distantly-related Drosophila species, we reveal that D. yakuba males have evolved the distinct ability to use a sexually-monomorphic pheromone, 7-tricosene (7-T), as an excitatory cue to promote courtship, a sensory innovation that enables D. yakuba males to court in the dark thereby expanding their reproductive opportunities. To gain insight into the neural adaptations that enable 7-T to act as an excitatory cue, we compared the functional properties of two key nodes within the pheromone circuits of D. yakuba and a subset of its closest relatives. We show that the instructive role of 7-T in D. yakuba arises from concurrent peripheral and central circuit changes: a distinct subpopulation of sensory neurons has acquired sensitivity to 7-T which in turn selectively signals to a distinct subset of P1 neurons in the central brain that trigger courtship behaviors. Such a modular circuit organization, in which different sensory inputs can independently couple to multiple parallel courtship control nodes, may facilitate the evolution of mate recognition systems by allowing males to take advantage of novel sensory modalities to become aroused. Together, our findings suggest how peripheral and central circuit adaptations can be flexibly linked to underlie the rapid evolution of mate recognition and courtship strategies across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory T. Coleman
- Laboatory of Neurophysiology and Behavior and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Ianessa Morantte
- Laboatory of Neurophysiology and Behavior and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Gabriel T. Koreman
- Laboatory of Neurophysiology and Behavior and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Megan L. Cheng
- Laboatory of Neurophysiology and Behavior and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Yun Ding
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Vanessa Ruta
- Laboatory of Neurophysiology and Behavior and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
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12
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Zhu J, Boivin JC, Pang S, Xu CS, Lu Z, Saalfeld S, Hess HF, Ohyama T. Comparative connectomics and escape behavior in larvae of closely related Drosophila species. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00675-9. [PMID: 37285846 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Evolution has generated an enormous variety of morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits in animals. How do behaviors evolve in different directions in species equipped with similar neurons and molecular components? Here we adopted a comparative approach to investigate the similarities and differences of escape behaviors in response to noxious stimuli and their underlying neural circuits between closely related drosophilid species. Drosophilids show a wide range of escape behaviors in response to noxious cues, including escape crawling, stopping, head casting, and rolling. Here we find that D. santomea, compared with its close relative D. melanogaster, shows a higher probability of rolling in response to noxious stimulation. To assess whether this behavioral difference could be attributed to differences in neural circuitry, we generated focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope volumes of the ventral nerve cord of D. santomea to reconstruct the downstream partners of mdIV, a nociceptive sensory neuron in D. melanogaster. Along with partner interneurons of mdVI (including Basin-2, a multisensory integration neuron necessary for rolling) previously identified in D. melanogaster, we identified two additional partners of mdVI in D. santomea. Finally, we showed that joint activation of one of the partners (Basin-1) and a common partner (Basin-2) in D. melanogaster increased rolling probability, suggesting that the high rolling probability in D. santomea is mediated by the additional activation of Basin-1 by mdIV. These results provide a plausible mechanistic explanation for how closely related species exhibit quantitative differences in the likelihood of expressing the same behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Zhu
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; Integrated Program of Neuroscience, McGill University, Pine Avenue W., Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Jean-Christophe Boivin
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; Integrated Program of Neuroscience, McGill University, Pine Avenue W., Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Song Pang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - C Shan Xu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Lu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Stephan Saalfeld
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Harald F Hess
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Tomoko Ohyama
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; Alan Edwards Center for Research on Pain, McGill University, University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
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13
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Cury KM, Axel R. Flexible neural control of transition points within the egg-laying behavioral sequence in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 2023:10.1038/s41593-023-01332-5. [PMID: 37217726 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01332-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Innate behaviors are frequently comprised of ordered sequences of component actions that progress to satisfy essential drives. Progression is governed by specialized sensory cues that induce transitions between components within the appropriate context. Here we have characterized the structure of the egg-laying behavioral sequence in Drosophila and found significant variability in the transitions between component actions that affords the organism an adaptive flexibility. We identified distinct classes of interoceptive and exteroceptive sensory neurons that control the timing and direction of transitions between the terminal components of the sequence. We also identified a pair of motor neurons that enact the final transition to egg expulsion. These results provide a logic for the organization of innate behavior in which sensory information processed at critical junctures allows for flexible adjustments in component actions to satisfy drives across varied internal and external environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Cury
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Richard Axel
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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14
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Kuwabara T, Kohno H, Hatakeyama M, Kubo T. Evolutionary dynamics of mushroom body Kenyon cell types in hymenopteran brains from multifunctional type to functionally specialized types. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd4201. [PMID: 37146148 PMCID: PMC10162674 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add4201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary dynamics of diversification of brain neuronal cell types that have underlain behavioral evolution remain largely unknown. Here, we compared transcriptomes and functions of Kenyon cell (KC) types that compose the mushroom bodies between the honey bee and sawfly, a primitive hymenopteran insect whose KCs likely have the ancestral properties. Transcriptome analyses show that the sawfly KC type shares some of the gene expression profile with each honey bee KC type, although unique gene expression profiles have also been acquired in each honey bee KC type. In addition, functional analysis of two sawfly genes suggested that the functions in learning and memory of the ancestral KC type were heterogeneously inherited among the KC types in the honey bee. Our findings strongly suggest that the functional evolution of KCs in Hymenoptera involved two previously hypothesized processes for evolution of cell function: functional segregation and divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayoshi Kuwabara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroki Kohno
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masatsugu Hatakeyama
- Division of Insect Advanced Technology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Takeo Kubo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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15
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Nanni AV, Martinez N, Graze R, Morse A, Newman JRB, Jain V, Vlaho S, Signor S, Nuzhdin SV, Renne R, McIntyre LM. Sex-Biased Expression Is Associated With Chromatin State in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad078. [PMID: 37116218 PMCID: PMC10162771 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans head tissue, 60% of orthologous genes show evidence of sex-biased expression in at least one species. Of these, ∼39% (2,192) are conserved in direction. We hypothesize enrichment of open chromatin in the sex where we see expression bias and closed chromatin in the opposite sex. Male-biased orthologs are significantly enriched for H3K4me3 marks in males of both species (∼89% of male-biased orthologs vs. ∼76% of unbiased orthologs). Similarly, female-biased orthologs are significantly enriched for H3K4me3 marks in females of both species (∼90% of female-biased orthologs vs. ∼73% of unbiased orthologs). The sex-bias ratio in female-biased orthologs was similar in magnitude between the two species, regardless of the closed chromatin (H3K27me2me3) marks in males. However, in male-biased orthologs, the presence of H3K27me2me3 in both species significantly reduced the correlation between D. melanogaster sex-bias ratio and the D. simulans sex-bias ratio. Male-biased orthologs are enriched for evidence of positive selection in the D. melanogaster group. There are more male-biased genes than female-biased genes in both species. For orthologs with gains/losses of sex-bias between the two species, there is an excess of male-bias compared to female-bias, but there is no consistent pattern in the relationship between H3K4me3 or H3K27me2me3 chromatin marks and expression. These data suggest chromatin state is a component of the maintenance of sex-biased expression and divergence of sex-bias between species is reflected in the complexity of the chromatin status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adalena V Nanni
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Natalie Martinez
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Rita Graze
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
| | - Alison Morse
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Jeremy R B Newman
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Vaibhav Jain
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Srna Vlaho
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Sarah Signor
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
| | - Sergey V Nuzhdin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Rolf Renne
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Lauren M McIntyre
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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16
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Ohashi TS, Ishikawa Y, Awasaki T, Su MP, Yoneyama Y, Morimoto N, Kamikouchi A. Evolutionary conservation and diversification of auditory neural circuits that process courtship songs in Drosophila. Sci Rep 2023; 13:383. [PMID: 36611081 PMCID: PMC9825394 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27349-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic communication signals diversify even on short evolutionary time scales. To understand how the auditory system underlying acoustic communication could evolve, we conducted a systematic comparison of the early stages of the auditory neural circuit involved in song information processing between closely-related fruit-fly species. Male Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans produce different sound signals during mating rituals, known as courtship songs. Female flies from these species selectively increase their receptivity when they hear songs with conspecific temporal patterns. Here, we firstly confirmed interspecific differences in temporal pattern preferences; D. simulans preferred pulse songs with longer intervals than D. melanogaster. Primary and secondary song-relay neurons, JO neurons and AMMC-B1 neurons, shared similar morphology and neurotransmitters between species. The temporal pattern preferences of AMMC-B1 neurons were also relatively similar between species, with slight but significant differences in their band-pass properties. Although the shift direction of the response property matched that of the behavior, these differences are not large enough to explain behavioral differences in song preferences. This study enhances our understanding of the conservation and diversification of the architecture of the early-stage neural circuit which processes acoustic communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuro S. Ohashi
- grid.27476.300000 0001 0943 978XGraduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602 Japan
| | - Yuki Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan.
| | - Takeshi Awasaki
- grid.411205.30000 0000 9340 2869School of Medicine, Kyorin University, Tokyo, 181-8611 Japan
| | - Matthew P. Su
- grid.27476.300000 0001 0943 978XGraduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602 Japan ,grid.27476.300000 0001 0943 978XInstitute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601 Japan
| | - Yusuke Yoneyama
- grid.27476.300000 0001 0943 978XGraduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602 Japan
| | - Nao Morimoto
- grid.39158.360000 0001 2173 7691Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0815 Japan
| | - Azusa Kamikouchi
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8602, Japan. .,Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8577, Japan.
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17
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Kelley DB. Convergent and divergent neural circuit architectures that support acoustic communication. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:976789. [PMID: 36466364 PMCID: PMC9712726 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.976789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal communication is used across extant vertebrates, is evolutionarily ancient, and been maintained, in many lineages. Here I review the neural circuit architectures that support intraspecific acoustic signaling in representative anuran, mammalian and avian species as well as two invertebrates, fruit flies and Hawaiian crickets. I focus on hindbrain motor control motifs and their ties to respiratory circuits, expression of receptors for gonadal steroids in motor, sensory, and limbic neurons as well as divergent modalities that evoke vocal responses. Hindbrain and limbic participants in acoustic communication are highly conserved, while forebrain participants have diverged between anurans and mammals, as well as songbirds and rodents. I discuss the roles of natural and sexual selection in driving speciation, as well as exaptation of circuit elements with ancestral roles in respiration, for producing sounds and driving rhythmic vocal features. Recent technical advances in whole brain fMRI across species will enable real time imaging of acoustic signaling partners, tying auditory perception to vocal production.
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18
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Karigo T, Deutsch D. Flexibility of neural circuits regulating mating behaviors in mice and flies. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:949781. [PMID: 36426135 PMCID: PMC9679785 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.949781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating is essential for the reproduction of animal species. As mating behaviors are high-risk and energy-consuming processes, it is critical for animals to make adaptive mating decisions. This includes not only finding a suitable mate, but also adapting mating behaviors to the animal's needs and environmental conditions. Internal needs include physical states (e.g., hunger) and emotional states (e.g., fear), while external conditions include both social cues (e.g., the existence of predators or rivals) and non-social factors (e.g., food availability). With recent advances in behavioral neuroscience, we are now beginning to understand the neural basis of mating behaviors, particularly in genetic model organisms such as mice and flies. However, how internal and external factors are integrated by the nervous system to enable adaptive mating-related decision-making in a state- and context-dependent manner is less well understood. In this article, we review recent knowledge regarding the neural basis of flexible mating behaviors from studies of flies and mice. By contrasting the knowledge derived from these two evolutionarily distant model organisms, we discuss potential conserved and divergent neural mechanisms involved in the control of flexible mating behaviors in invertebrate and vertebrate brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomi Karigo
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States,The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States,*Correspondence: Tomomi Karigo,
| | - David Deutsch
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,David Deutsch,
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19
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Suarez LE, Yovel Y, van den Heuvel MP, Sporns O, Assaf Y, Lajoie G, Misic B. A connectomics-based taxonomy of mammals. eLife 2022; 11:e78635. [PMID: 36342363 PMCID: PMC9681214 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian taxonomies are conventionally defined by morphological traits and genetics. How species differ in terms of neural circuits and whether inter-species differences in neural circuit organization conform to these taxonomies is unknown. The main obstacle to the comparison of neural architectures has been differences in network reconstruction techniques, yielding species-specific connectomes that are not directly comparable to one another. Here, we comprehensively chart connectome organization across the mammalian phylogenetic spectrum using a common reconstruction protocol. We analyse the mammalian MRI (MaMI) data set, a database that encompasses high-resolution ex vivo structural and diffusion MRI scans of 124 species across 12 taxonomic orders and 5 superorders, collected using a unified MRI protocol. We assess similarity between species connectomes using two methods: similarity of Laplacian eigenspectra and similarity of multiscale topological features. We find greater inter-species similarities among species within the same taxonomic order, suggesting that connectome organization reflects established taxonomic relationships defined by morphology and genetics. While all connectomes retain hallmark global features and relative proportions of connection classes, inter-species variation is driven by local regional connectivity profiles. By encoding connectomes into a common frame of reference, these findings establish a foundation for investigating how neural circuits change over phylogeny, forging a link from genes to circuits to behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Suarez
- Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence InstituteMontrealCanada
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Martijn P van den Heuvel
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Olaf Sporns
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana UniversityBloomingtonUnited States
| | - Yaniv Assaf
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | | | - Bratislav Misic
- Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
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20
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Roberts RJV, Pop S, Prieto-Godino LL. Evolution of central neural circuits: state of the art and perspectives. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:725-743. [DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00644-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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21
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Keesey IW. Sensory neuroecology and multimodal evolution across the genus Drosophila. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.932344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural basis and genetic mechanisms for sensory evolution are increasingly being explored in depth across many closely related members of the Drosophila genus. This has, in part, been achieved due to the immense efforts toward adapting gene-editing technologies for additional, non-model species. Studies targeting both peripheral sensory variations, as well as interspecies divergence in coding or neural connectivity, have generated numerous, tangible examples of how and where the evolution of sensory-driven animal behavior has occurred. Here, we review and discuss studies that each aim to identify the neurobiological and genetic components of sensory system evolution to provide a comparative overview of the types of functional variations observed across both perceptual input and behavioral output. In addition, we examined the roles neuroecology and neuroevolution play in speciation events, such as courtship and intraspecies communication, as well as those aspects related to behavioral divergence in host navigation or egg-laying preferences. Through the investigation of comparative, large-scale trends and correlations across diverse, yet closely related species within this highly ecologically variable genus of flies, we can begin to describe the underlying pressures, mechanisms, and constraints that have guided sensory and nervous system evolution within the natural environments of these organisms.
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22
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Copy number changes in co-expressed odorant receptor genes enable selection for sensory differences in drosophilid species. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1343-1353. [PMID: 35864227 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01830-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Despite numerous examples of chemoreceptor gene family expansions and contractions, how these relate to modifications in the sensory neuron populations in which they are expressed remains unclear. Drosophila melanogaster's odorant receptor (Or) family is ideal for addressing this question because most Ors are expressed in distinct olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) types. Between-species changes in Or copy number may therefore indicate increases or reductions in the number of OSN populations. Here we investigated the Or67a subfamily, which exhibits copy number variation in D. melanogaster and its closest relatives: D. simulans, D. sechellia and D. mauritiana. These species' common ancestor had three Or67a paralogues that had already diverged adaptively. Following speciation, two Or67a paralogues were lost independently in D. melanogaster and D. sechellia, with ongoing positive selection shaping the intact genes. Unexpectedly, the functionally diverged Or67a paralogues in D. simulans are co-expressed in a single neuron population, which projects to a glomerulus homologous to that innervated by Or67a neurons in D. melanogaster. Thus, while sensory pathway neuroanatomy is conserved, independent selection on co-expressed receptors has contributed to species-specific peripheral coding. This work reveals a type of adaptive change largely overlooked for olfactory evolution, raising the possibility that similar processes influence other cases of insect Or co-expression.
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23
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Nande A, Dubinkina V, Ravasio R, Zhang GH, Berman GJ. Bottlenecks, Modularity, and the Neural Control of Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:835753. [PMID: 35464140 PMCID: PMC9020368 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.835753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In almost all animals, the transfer of information from the brain to the motor circuitry is facilitated by a relatively small number of neurons, leading to a constraint on the amount of information that can be transmitted. Our knowledge of how animals encode information through this pathway, and the consequences of this encoding, however, is limited. In this study, we use a simple feed-forward neural network to investigate the consequences of having such a bottleneck and identify aspects of the network architecture that enable robust information transfer. We are able to explain some recently observed properties of descending neurons—that they exhibit a modular pattern of connectivity and that their excitation leads to consistent alterations in behavior that are often dependent upon the desired behavioral state of the animal. Our model predicts that in the presence of an information bottleneck, such a modular structure is needed to increase the efficiency of the network and to make it more robust to perturbations. However, it does so at the cost of an increase in state-dependent effects. Despite its simplicity, our model is able to provide intuition for the trade-offs faced by the nervous system in the presence of an information processing constraint and makes predictions for future experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjalika Nande
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Veronika Dubinkina
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Riccardo Ravasio
- Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Grace H. Zhang
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Gordon J. Berman
- Departments of Biology and Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- *Correspondence: Gordon J. Berman
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24
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Kanwal JK, Parker J. The neural basis of interspecies interactions in insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 50:100891. [PMID: 35218937 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2022.100891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As insects move through the world, they continuously engage in behavioral interactions with other species. These interactions take on a spectrum of forms, from inconsequential encounters to predation, defense, and specialized symbiotic partnerships. All such interactions rely on sensorimotor pathways that carry out efficient categorization of different organisms and enact behaviors that cross species boundaries. Despite the universality of interspecies interactions, how insect brains perceive and process salient features of other species remains unexplored. Here, we present an overview of major questions concerning the neurobiology and evolution of behavioral interactions between species, providing a framework for future research on this critical role of the insect nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessleen K Kanwal
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Joseph Parker
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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25
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Lee CA, Romanova EV, Southey BR, Gillette R, Sweedler JV. Comparative Analysis of Neuropeptides in Homologous Interneurons and Prohormone Annotation in Nudipleuran Sea Slugs. Front Physiol 2022; 12:809529. [PMID: 35002782 PMCID: PMC8735849 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.809529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite substantial research on neuronal circuits in nudipleuran gastropods, few peptides have been implicated in nudipleuran behavior. In this study, we expanded the understanding of peptides in this clade, using three species with well-studied nervous systems, Hermissenda crassicornis, Melibe leonina, and Pleurobranchaea californica. For each species, we performed sequence homology analysis of de novo transcriptome predictions to identify homologs to 34 of 36 prohormones previously characterized in the gastropods Aplysia californica and Lymnaea stagnalis. We then used single-cell mass spectrometry to characterize peptide profiles in homologous feeding interneurons: the multifunctional ventral white cell (VWC) in P. californica and the small cardioactive peptide B large buccal (SLB) cells in H. crassicornis and M. leonina. The neurons produced overlapping, but not identical, peptide profiles. The H. crassicornis SLB cells expressed peptides from homologs to the FMRFamide (FMRFa), small cardioactive peptide (SCP), LFRFamide (LFRFa), and feeding circuit activating peptides prohormones. The M. leonina SLB cells expressed peptides from homologs to the FMRFa, SCP, LFRFa, and MIP-related peptides prohormones. The VWC, previously shown to express peptides from the FMRFa and QNFLa (a homolog of A. californica pedal peptide 4) prohormones, was shown to also contain SCP peptides. Thus, each neuron expressed peptides from the FMRFa and SCP families, the H. crassicornis and M. leonina SLB cells expressed peptides from the LFRFa family, and each neuron contained peptides from a prohormone not found in the others. These data suggest each neuron performs complex co-transmission, which potentially facilitates a multifunctional role in feeding. Additionally, the unique feeding characteristics of each species may relate, in part, to differences in the peptide profiles of these neurons. These data add chemical insight to enhance our understanding of the neuronal basis of behavior in nudipleurans and other gastropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin A Lee
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Elena V Romanova
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Bruce R Southey
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Rhanor Gillette
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
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26
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Mueller JM, Zhang N, Carlson JM, Simpson JH. Variation and Variability in Drosophila Grooming Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:769372. [PMID: 35087385 PMCID: PMC8787196 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.769372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral differences can be observed between species or populations (variation) or between individuals in a genetically similar population (variability). Here, we investigate genetic differences as a possible source of variation and variability in Drosophila grooming. Grooming confers survival and social benefits. Grooming features of five Drosophila species exposed to a dust irritant were analyzed. Aspects of grooming behavior, such as anterior to posterior progression, were conserved between and within species. However, significant differences in activity levels, proportion of time spent in different cleaning movements, and grooming syntax were identified between species. All species tested showed individual variability in the order and duration of action sequences. Genetic diversity was not found to correlate with grooming variability within a species: melanogaster flies bred to increase or decrease genetic heterogeneity exhibited similar variability in grooming syntax. Individual flies observed on consecutive days also showed grooming sequence variability. Standardization of sensory input using optogenetics reduced but did not eliminate this variability. In aggregate, these data suggest that sequence variability may be a conserved feature of grooming behavior itself. These results also demonstrate that large genetic differences result in distinguishable grooming phenotypes (variation), but that genetic heterogeneity within a population does not necessarily correspond to an increase in the range of grooming behavior (variability).
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Mueller
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Neil Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jean M. Carlson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Julie H. Simpson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Julie H. Simpson,
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27
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Barker AJ. Brains and speciation: Control of behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:158-163. [PMID: 34847485 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
As organisms invade new ecological niches, new species are formed. Simultaneously, behavioral repertoires diverge to adapt to new environments and reproductive partners. Such behavioral modifications require changes in underlying neural circuitry and thus speciation events provide a unique advantage for studying brain evolution: allowing for direct comparisons between homologous neural circuits with distinct functional outputs. Here, I will consider how speciation events can reveal common motifs within brain evolution focusing on recent research across a wide range of phyla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J Barker
- Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, Max-Planck-Institut fur Hirnforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Auer TO, Shahandeh MP, Benton R. Drosophila sechellia: A Genetic Model for Behavioral Evolution and Neuroecology. Annu Rev Genet 2021; 55:527-554. [PMID: 34530638 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-071719-020719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Defining the mechanisms by which animals adapt to their ecological niche is an important problem bridging evolution, genetics, and neurobiology. We review the establishment of a powerful genetic model for comparative behavioral analysis and neuroecology, Drosophila sechellia. This island-endemic fly species is closely related to several cosmopolitan generalists, including Drosophila melanogaster, but has evolved extreme specialism, feeding and reproducing exclusively on the noni fruit of the tropical shrub Morinda citrifolia. We first describe the development and use of genetic approaches to facilitate genotype/phenotype associations in these drosophilids. Next, we survey the behavioral, physiological, and morphological adaptations of D. sechellia throughout its life cycle and outline our current understanding of the genetic and cellular basis of these traits. Finally, we discuss the principles this knowledge begins to establish in the context of host specialization, speciation, and the neurobiology of behavioral evolution and consider open questions and challenges in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas O Auer
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; , ,
| | - Michael P Shahandeh
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; , ,
| | - Richard Benton
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland; , ,
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Steinfath E, Palacios-Muñoz A, Rottschäfer JR, Yuezak D, Clemens J. Fast and accurate annotation of acoustic signals with deep neural networks. eLife 2021; 10:e68837. [PMID: 34723794 PMCID: PMC8560090 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals serve communication within and across species throughout the animal kingdom. Studying the genetics, evolution, and neurobiology of acoustic communication requires annotating acoustic signals: segmenting and identifying individual acoustic elements like syllables or sound pulses. To be useful, annotations need to be accurate, robust to noise, and fast. We here introduce DeepAudioSegmenter (DAS), a method that annotates acoustic signals across species based on a deep-learning derived hierarchical presentation of sound. We demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and speed of DAS using acoustic signals with diverse characteristics from insects, birds, and mammals. DAS comes with a graphical user interface for annotating song, training the network, and for generating and proofreading annotations. The method can be trained to annotate signals from new species with little manual annotation and can be combined with unsupervised methods to discover novel signal types. DAS annotates song with high throughput and low latency for experimental interventions in realtime. Overall, DAS is a universal, versatile, and accessible tool for annotating acoustic communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Steinfath
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Adrian Palacios-Muñoz
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Julian R Rottschäfer
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Deniz Yuezak
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Jan Clemens
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceGöttingenGermany
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30
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Hernández DG, Rivera C, Cande J, Zhou B, Stern DL, Berman GJ. A framework for studying behavioral evolution by reconstructing ancestral repertoires. eLife 2021; 10:e61806. [PMID: 34473052 PMCID: PMC8445618 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although different animal species often exhibit extensive variation in many behaviors, typically scientists examine one or a small number of behaviors in any single study. Here, we propose a new framework to simultaneously study the evolution of many behaviors. We measured the behavioral repertoire of individuals from six species of fruit flies using unsupervised techniques and identified all stereotyped movements exhibited by each species. We then fit a Generalized Linear Mixed Model to estimate the intra- and inter-species behavioral covariances, and, by using the known phylogenetic relationships among species, we estimated the (unobserved) behaviors exhibited by ancestral species. We found that much of intra-specific behavioral variation has a similar covariance structure to previously described long-time scale variation in an individual's behavior, suggesting that much of the measured variation between individuals of a single species in our assay reflects differences in the status of neural networks, rather than genetic or developmental differences between individuals. We then propose a method to identify groups of behaviors that appear to have evolved in a correlated manner, illustrating how sets of behaviors, rather than individual behaviors, likely evolved. Our approach provides a new framework for identifying co-evolving behaviors and may provide new opportunities to study the mechanistic basis of behavioral evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damián G Hernández
- Department of Physics, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Medical Physics, Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto BalseiroBarilocheArgentina
| | | | - Jessica Cande
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Baohua Zhou
- Department of Physics, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - David L Stern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteAshburnUnited States
| | - Gordon J Berman
- Department of Physics, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Biology, Emory UniversityAtlantaUnited States
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31
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Abstract
The mass raids of army ants are an iconic collective phenomenon, in which many thousands of ants spontaneously leave their nest to hunt for food, mostly other arthropods. While the structure and ecology of these raids have been relatively well studied, how army ants evolved such complex cooperative behavior is not understood. Here, we show that army ant mass raiding has evolved from a different form of cooperative hunting called group raiding, in which a scout directs a small group of ants to a specific target through chemical communication. We describe the structure of group raids in the clonal raider ant, a close relative of army ants in the subfamily Dorylinae. We find evidence that the coarse structure of group raids and mass raids is highly conserved and that all doryline ants likely follow similar behavioral rules for raiding. We also find that the evolution of army ant mass raiding occurred concurrently with expansions in colony size. By experimentally increasing colony size in the clonal raider ant, we show that mass raiding gradually emerges from group raiding without altering individual behavioral rules. This suggests that increasing colony size can explain the evolution of army ant mass raids and supports the idea that complex social behaviors may evolve via mechanisms that need not alter the behavioral interaction rules that immediately underlie the collective behavior of interest.
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Chakraborty M, Chang CH, Khost DE, Vedanayagam J, Adrion JR, Liao Y, Montooth KL, Meiklejohn CD, Larracuente AM, Emerson JJ. Evolution of genome structure in the Drosophila simulans species complex. Genome Res 2021; 31:380-396. [PMID: 33563718 PMCID: PMC7919458 DOI: 10.1101/gr.263442.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The rapid evolution of repetitive DNA sequences, including satellite DNA, tandem duplications, and transposable elements, underlies phenotypic evolution and contributes to hybrid incompatibilities between species. However, repetitive genomic regions are fragmented and misassembled in most contemporary genome assemblies. We generated highly contiguous de novo reference genomes for the Drosophila simulans species complex (D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia), which speciated ∼250,000 yr ago. Our assemblies are comparable in contiguity and accuracy to the current D. melanogaster genome, allowing us to directly compare repetitive sequences between these four species. We find that at least 15% of the D. simulans complex species genomes fail to align uniquely to D. melanogaster owing to structural divergence-twice the number of single-nucleotide substitutions. We also find rapid turnover of satellite DNA and extensive structural divergence in heterochromatic regions, whereas the euchromatic gene content is mostly conserved. Despite the overall preservation of gene synteny, euchromatin in each species has been shaped by clade- and species-specific inversions, transposable elements, expansions and contractions of satellite and tRNA tandem arrays, and gene duplications. We also find rapid divergence among Y-linked genes, including copy number variation and recent gene duplications from autosomes. Our assemblies provide a valuable resource for studying genome evolution and its consequences for phenotypic evolution in these genetic model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahul Chakraborty
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Ching-Ho Chang
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - Danielle E Khost
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
- FAS Informatics and Scientific Applications, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Jeffrey Vedanayagam
- Department of Developmental Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Adrion
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Yi Liao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Kristi L Montooth
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502, USA
| | - Colin D Meiklejohn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68502, USA
| | | | - J J Emerson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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33
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Expanding evolutionary neuroscience: insights from comparing variation in behavior. Neuron 2021; 109:1084-1099. [PMID: 33609484 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Neuroscientists have long studied species with convenient biological features to discover how behavior emerges from conserved molecular, neural, and circuit level processes. With the advent of new tools, from viral vectors and gene editing to automated behavioral analyses, there has been a recent wave of interest in developing new, "nontraditional" model species. Here, we advocate for a complementary approach to model species development, that is, model clade development, as a way to integrate an evolutionary comparative approach with neurobiological and behavioral experiments. Capitalizing on natural behavioral variation in and investing in experimental tools for model clades will be a valuable strategy for the next generation of neuroscience discovery.
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34
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Kuo DH, De-Miguel FF, Heath-Heckman EAC, Szczupak L, Todd K, Weisblat DA, Winchell CJ. A tale of two leeches: Toward the understanding of the evolution and development of behavioral neural circuits. Evol Dev 2020; 22:471-493. [PMID: 33226195 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the animal kingdom, behavioral traits encompass a broad spectrum of biological phenotypes that have critical roles in adaptive evolution, but an EvoDevo approach has not been broadly used to study behavior evolution. Here, we propose that, by integrating two leech model systems, each of which has already attained some success in its respective field, it is possible to take on behavioral traits with an EvoDevo approach. We first identify the developmental changes that may theoretically lead to behavioral evolution and explain why an EvoDevo study of behavior is challenging. Next, we discuss the pros and cons of the two leech model species, Hirudo, a classic model for invertebrate neurobiology, and Helobdella, an emerging model for clitellate developmental biology, as models for behavioral EvoDevo research. Given the limitations of each leech system, neither is particularly strong for behavioral EvoDevo. However, the two leech systems are complementary in their technical accessibilities, and they do exhibit some behavioral similarities and differences. By studying them in parallel and together with additional leech species such as Haementeria, it is possible to explore the different levels of behavioral development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dian-Han Kuo
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Francisco F De-Miguel
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular - Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | | | - Lidia Szczupak
- Departamento de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBYNE UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Krista Todd
- Department of Neuroscience, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - David A Weisblat
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Christopher J Winchell
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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35
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Kerwin P, von Philipsborn AC. Copulation Song in Drosophila: Do Females Sing to Change Male Ejaculate Allocation and Incite Postcopulatory Mate Choice? Bioessays 2020; 42:e2000109. [PMID: 32964470 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila males sing a courtship song to achieve copulations with females. Females were recently found to sing a distinct song during copulation, which depends on male seminal fluid transfer and delays female remating. Here, it is hypothesized that female copulation song is a signal directed at the copulating male and changes ejaculate allocation. This may alter female remating and sperm usage, and thereby affect postcopulatory mate choice. Mechanisms of how female copulation song is elicited, how males respond to copulation song, and how remating is modulated, are considered. The potential adaptive value of female signaling during copulation is discussed with reference to vertebrate copulation calls and their proposed function in eliciting mate guarding. Female copulation song may be widespread within the Drosophila genus. This newly discovered behavior opens many interesting avenues for future research, including investigation of how sexually dimorphic neuronal circuits mediate communication between nervous system and reproductive organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Kerwin
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
| | - Anne C von Philipsborn
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
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36
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Signal Diversification Is Associated with Corollary Discharge Evolution in Weakly Electric Fish. J Neurosci 2020; 40:6345-6356. [PMID: 32661026 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0875-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Communication signal diversification is a driving force in the evolution of sensory and motor systems. However, little is known about the evolution of sensorimotor integration. Mormyrid fishes generate stereotyped electric pulses (electric organ discharge [EOD]) for communication and active sensing. The EOD has diversified extensively, especially in duration, which varies across species from 0.1 to >10 ms. In the electrosensory hindbrain, a corollary discharge that signals the timing of EOD production provides brief, precisely timed inhibition that effectively blocks responses to self-generated EODs. However, corollary discharge inhibition has only been studied in a few species, all with short-duration EODs. Here, we asked how corollary discharge inhibition has coevolved with the diversification of EOD duration. We addressed this question by comparing 7 mormyrid species (both sexes) having varied EOD duration. For each individual fish, we measured EOD duration and then measured corollary discharge inhibition by recording evoked potentials from midbrain electrosensory nuclei. We found that delays in corollary discharge inhibition onset were strongly correlated with EOD duration as well as delay to the first peak of the EOD. In addition, we showed that electrosensory receptors respond to self-generated EODs with spikes occurring in a narrow time window immediately following the first peak of the EOD. Direct comparison of time courses between the EOD and corollary discharge inhibition revealed that the inhibition overlaps the first peak of the EOD. Our results suggest that internal delays have shifted the timing of corollary discharge inhibition to optimally block responses to self-generated signals.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Corollary discharges are internal copies of motor commands that are essential for brain function. For example, corollary discharge allows an animal to distinguish self-generated from external stimuli. Despite widespread diversity in behavior and its motor control, we know little about the evolution of corollary discharges. Mormyrid fishes generate stereotyped electric pulses used for communication and active sensing. In the electrosensory pathway that processes communication signals, a corollary discharge inhibits sensory responses to self-generated signals. We found that fish with long-duration pulses have delayed corollary discharge inhibition, and that this time-shifted corollary discharge optimally blocks electrosensory responses to the fish's own signal. Our study provides the first evidence for evolutionary change in sensorimotor integration related to diversification of communication signals.
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37
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Zhao Z, McBride CS. Evolution of olfactory circuits in insects. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 206:353-367. [PMID: 31984441 PMCID: PMC7192870 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01399-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the evolution of neural circuits. Comparison of animals from different families, orders, and phyla reveals fascinating variation in brain morphology, circuit structure, and neural cell types. However, it can be difficult to connect the complex changes that occur across long evolutionary distances to behavior. Luckily, these changes accumulate through processes that should also be observable in recent time, making more tractable comparisons of closely related species relevant and complementary. Here, we review several decades of research on the evolution of insect olfactory circuits across short evolutionary time scales. We describe two well-studied systems, Drosophila sechellia flies and Heliothis moths, in detailed case studies. We then move through key types of circuit evolution, cataloging examples from other insects and looking for general patterns. The literature is dominated by changes in sensory neuron number and tuning at the periphery-often enhancing neural response to odorants with new ecological or social relevance. However, changes in the way olfactory information is processed by central circuits is clearly important in a few cases, and we suspect the development of genetic tools in non-model species will reveal a broad role for central circuit evolution. Moving forward, such tools should also be used to rigorously test causal links between brain evolution and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilei Zhao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Carolyn S McBride
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
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38
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Zung JL, McBride CS. How a fly came to love the vomit fruit. Nature 2020; 579:345-346. [PMID: 32173720 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-020-00535-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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39
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Behavioral Evolution of Drosophila: Unraveling the Circuit Basis. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11020157. [PMID: 32024133 PMCID: PMC7074016 DOI: 10.3390/genes11020157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavior is a readout of neural function. Therefore, any difference in behavior among different species is, in theory, an outcome of interspecies diversification in the structure and/or function of the nervous system. However, the neural diversity underlying the species-specificity in behavioral traits and its genetic basis have been poorly understood. In this article, we discuss potential neural substrates for species differences in the courtship pulse song frequency and mating partner choice in the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup. We also discuss possible neurogenetic mechanisms whereby a novel behavioral repertoire emerges based on the study of nuptial gift transfer, a trait unique to D. subobscura in the genus Drosophila. We found that the conserved central circuit composed primarily of fruitless-expressing neurons (the fru-circuit) serves for the execution of courtship behavior, whereas the sensory pathways impinging onto the fru-circuit or the motor pathways downstream of the fru-circuit are susceptible to changes associated with behavioral species differences.
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40
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Anholt RRH, O'Grady P, Wolfner MF, Harbison ST. Evolution of Reproductive Behavior. Genetics 2020; 214:49-73. [PMID: 31907301 PMCID: PMC6944409 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Behaviors associated with reproduction are major contributors to the evolutionary success of organisms and are subject to many evolutionary forces, including natural and sexual selection, and sexual conflict. Successful reproduction involves a range of behaviors, from finding an appropriate mate, courting, and copulation, to the successful production and (in oviparous animals) deposition of eggs following mating. As a consequence, behaviors and genes associated with reproduction are often under strong selection and evolve rapidly. Courtship rituals in flies follow a multimodal pattern, mediated through visual, chemical, tactile, and auditory signals. Premating behaviors allow males and females to assess the species identity, reproductive state, and condition of their partners. Conflicts between the "interests" of individual males, and/or between the reproductive strategies of males and females, often drive the evolution of reproductive behaviors. For example, seminal proteins transmitted by males often show evidence of rapid evolution, mediated by positive selection. Postmating behaviors, including the selection of oviposition sites, are highly variable and Drosophila species span the spectrum from generalists to obligate specialists. Chemical recognition features prominently in adaptation to host plants for feeding and oviposition. Selection acting on variation in pre-, peri-, and postmating behaviors can lead to reproductive isolation and incipient speciation. Response to selection at the genetic level can include the expansion of gene families, such as those for detecting pheromonal cues for mating, or changes in the expression of genes leading to visual cues such as wing spots that are assessed during mating. Here, we consider the evolution of reproductive behavior in Drosophila at two distinct, yet complementary, scales. Some studies take a microevolutionary approach, identifying genes and networks involved in reproduction, and then dissecting the genetics underlying complex behaviors in D. melanogaster Other studies take a macroevolutionary approach, comparing reproductive behaviors across the genus Drosophila and how these might correlate with environmental cues. A full synthesis of this field will require unification across these levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert R H Anholt
- Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, Greenwood, South Carolina 29646
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Greenwood, South Carolina 29646
| | - Patrick O'Grady
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| | - Susan T Harbison
- Laboratory of Systems Genetics, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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41
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Neurons that Function within an Integrator to Promote a Persistent Behavioral State in Drosophila. Neuron 2019; 105:322-333.e5. [PMID: 31810837 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Innate behaviors involve both reflexive motor programs and enduring internal states, but how these responses are coordinated by the brain is not clear. In Drosophila, male-specific P1 interneurons promote courtship song, as well as a persistent internal state that prolongs courtship and enhances aggressiveness. However, P1 neurons themselves are not persistently active. Here, we identify pCd neurons as persistently active, indirect P1 targets that are required for P1-evoked persistent courtship and aggression. Acute activation of pCd neurons alone is inefficacious but enhances and prolongs courtship or aggression promoted by female cues. Brief female exposure induces a persistent increase in male aggressiveness, an effect abrogated by interruption of pCd activity. pCd activity is not sufficient but necessary for persistent physiological activity, implying an essential role in a persistence network. Thus, P1 neurons coordinate both command-like control of courtship song and a persistent internal state of social arousal mediated by pCd neurons.
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42
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McKelvey EG, Fabre CC. Recent neurogenetic findings in insect courtship behaviour. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 36:103-110. [PMID: 31546094 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Insect courtship parades consist of series of innate and stereotyped behaviours that become hardwired-in during the development of the nervous system. As such, insect courtship behaviour provides an excellent model for probing the principles of neuronal assembly, which underlie patterns of behaviour. Here, we present the main advances of recent studies - in species all the way from flies to planthoppers - and we envisage how these could lead to further propitious findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Gz McKelvey
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Cg Fabre
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
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43
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Calhoun AJ, Pillow JW, Murthy M. Unsupervised identification of the internal states that shape natural behavior. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:2040-2049. [PMID: 31768056 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0533-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Internal states shape stimulus responses and decision-making, but we lack methods to identify them. To address this gap, we developed an unsupervised method to identify internal states from behavioral data and applied it to a dynamic social interaction. During courtship, Drosophila melanogaster males pattern their songs using feedback cues from their partner. Our model uncovers three latent states underlying this behavior and is able to predict moment-to-moment variation in song-patterning decisions. These states correspond to different sensorimotor strategies, each of which is characterized by different mappings from feedback cues to song modes. We show that a pair of neurons previously thought to be command neurons for song production are sufficient to drive switching between states. Our results reveal how animals compose behavior from previously unidentified internal states, which is a necessary step for quantitative descriptions of animal behavior that link environmental cues, internal needs, neuronal activity and motor outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Calhoun
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jonathan W Pillow
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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Wang H, Sawai A, Toji N, Sugioka R, Shibata Y, Suzuki Y, Ji Y, Hayase S, Akama S, Sese J, Wada K. Transcriptional regulatory divergence underpinning species-specific learned vocalization in songbirds. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000476. [PMID: 31721761 PMCID: PMC6853299 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning of most motor skills is constrained in a species-specific manner. However, the proximate mechanisms underlying species-specific learned behaviors remain poorly understood. Songbirds acquire species-specific songs through learning, which is hypothesized to depend on species-specific patterns of gene expression in functionally specialized brain regions for vocal learning and production, called song nuclei. Here, we leveraged two closely related songbird species, zebra finch, owl finch, and their interspecific first-generation (F1) hybrids, to relate transcriptional regulatory divergence between species with the production of species-specific songs. We quantified genome-wide gene expression in both species and compared this with allele-specific expression in F1 hybrids to identify genes whose expression in song nuclei is regulated by species divergence in either cis- or trans-regulation. We found that divergence in transcriptional regulation altered the expression of approximately 10% of total transcribed genes and was linked to differential gene expression between the two species. Furthermore, trans-regulatory changes were more prevalent than cis-regulatory and were associated with synaptic formation and transmission in song nucleus RA, the avian analog of the mammalian laryngeal motor cortex. We identified brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as an upstream mediator of trans-regulated genes in RA, with a significant correlation between individual variation in BDNF expression level and species-specific song phenotypes in F1 hybrids. This was supported by the fact that the pharmacological overactivation of BDNF receptors altered the expression of its trans-regulated genes in the RA, thus disrupting the learned song structures of adult zebra finch songs at the acoustic and sequence levels. These results demonstrate functional neurogenetic associations between divergence in region-specific transcriptional regulation and species-specific learned behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongdi Wang
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Azusa Sawai
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Toji
- Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Rintaro Sugioka
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yukino Shibata
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yuika Suzuki
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yu Ji
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shin Hayase
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Satoru Akama
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jun Sese
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- Humanome Lab Inc., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- * E-mail:
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45
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Wu S, Guo C, Zhao H, Sun M, Chen J, Han C, Peng Q, Qiao H, Peng P, Liu Y, Luo SD, Pan Y. Drosulfakinin signaling in fruitless circuitry antagonizes P1 neurons to regulate sexual arousal in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4770. [PMID: 31628317 PMCID: PMC6800437 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12758-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals perform or terminate particular behaviors by integrating external cues and internal states through neural circuits. Identifying neural substrates and their molecular modulators promoting or inhibiting animal behaviors are key steps to understand how neural circuits control behaviors. Here, we identify the Cholecystokinin-like peptide Drosulfakinin (DSK) that functions at single-neuron resolution to suppress male sexual behavior in Drosophila. We found that Dsk neurons physiologically interact with male-specific P1 neurons, part of a command center for male sexual behaviors, and function oppositely to regulate multiple arousal-related behaviors including sex, sleep and spontaneous walking. We further found that the DSK-2 peptide functions through its receptor CCKLR-17D3 to suppress sexual behaviors in flies. Such a neuropeptide circuit largely overlaps with the fruitless-expressing neural circuit that governs most aspects of male sexual behaviors. Thus DSK/CCKLR signaling in the sex circuitry functions antagonistically with P1 neurons to balance arousal levels and modulate sexual behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunfan Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Chao Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Huan Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Mengshi Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Jie Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Caihong Han
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Qionglin Peng
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Huanhuan Qiao
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Tsinghua Fly Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ping Peng
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Tsinghua Fly Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Shengzhan D Luo
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA
| | - Yufeng Pan
- The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
- Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China.
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46
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Rings A, Goodwin SF. To court or not to court - a multimodal sensory decision in Drosophila males. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 35:48-53. [PMID: 31336357 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
When Drosophila males encounter another fly, they have to make a rapid assessment to ensure the appropriate response: should they court, fight or pursue a different action entirely? Previous work has focused on the significance of sensory cues detected by the male during these encounters; however, recent evidence highlights the importance of the male's own internal state in shaping his responses. Additionally, once triggered, courtship is not a rigid sequence of motor actions, but rather a finely tuned behavioural display that must continually update in response to sensory feedback. Here, we review recent findings highlighting how sensory information and internal states are integrated ensuring appropriate action selection, and how they sustain and fine-tune motor output. We further discuss recent advances in our understanding of species differences in sensory processing that may contribute to reproductive isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Rings
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR, UK.
| | - Stephen F Goodwin
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SR, UK
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47
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Sato K, Yamamoto D. The mode of action of Fruitless: Is it an easy matter to switch the sex? GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 19:e12606. [PMID: 31420927 PMCID: PMC7027472 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The fruitless (fru) locus was originally defined by a male sterile mutation that promotes male-to-male courtship while suppressing male-to-female courtship in Drosophila melanogaster. The fru promoter-1 pre-RNA generates a set of BTB-zinc finger family FruM proteins expressed exclusively in the male neurons, leading to the formation of sexual dimorphisms in neurons via male-specific neuroblast proliferation, male-specific neural survival, male-specific neuritegenesis or male-specific arbor patterning. Such a wide spectrum of phenotypic effects seems to result from chromatin modifications, in which FruBM recruits Bonus, Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and/or Heterochromatin protein 1a (HP1a) to ~130 target sites. One established FruBM transcriptional target is the axon guidance protein gene robo1. Multiple transcriptional regulator-binding sites are nested around the FruBM-binding site, and mediate sophisticated modulation of the repressor activity of FruBM. FruBM also binds to the Lola-Q transcriptional repressor to protect it from proteasome-dependent degradation in male but not female neurons as FruBM exists only in male neurons, leading to the formation of sexually dimorphic neural structures. These findings shed light on the multilayered network of transcription regulation orchestrated by the master regulator FruBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosei Sato
- Neuro-Network Evolution Project, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Daisuke Yamamoto
- Neuro-Network Evolution Project, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
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48
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Sato K, Ahsan MT, Ote M, Koganezawa M, Yamamoto D. Calmodulin-binding transcription factor shapes the male courtship song in Drosophila. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1008309. [PMID: 31344027 PMCID: PMC6690551 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Males of the Drosophila melanogaster mutant croaker (cro) generate a polycyclic pulse song dissimilar to the monocyclic songs typical of wild-type males during courtship. However, cro has not been molecularly mapped to any gene in the genome. We demonstrate that cro is a mutation in the gene encoding the Calmodulin-binding transcription factor (Camta) by genetic complementation tests with chromosomal deficiencies, molecular cloning of genomic fragments that flank the cro-mutagenic P-insertion, and phenotypic rescue of the cro mutant phenotype by Camta+-encoding cDNA as well as a BAC clone containing the gene for Camta. We further show that knockdown of the Camta-encoding gene phenocopies cro mutant songs when targeted to a subset of fruitless-positive neurons that include the mcALa and AL1 clusters in the brain. cro-GAL4 and an anti-Camta antibody labeled a large number of brain neurons including mcALa. We conclude that the Camta-encoding gene represents the cro locus, which has been implicated in a species-specific difference in courtship songs between D. sechellia and simulans. Selecting a suitable mate is a prerequisite for successful breeding in organisms. Indeed, the animals instinctively distinguish a conspecific partner from individuals of other species, yet the mechanism underlying such species-recognition remains largely unknown. In choosing a conspecific male as a mate, fruit fly females rely on a male-derived auditory signal, love song, which is generated by a series of unilateral wing vibration by the male. We study how the males produce love song that is unique to the species. We particularly focus on croaker (cro) mutants, whose males generate distorted love song. Our molecular analysis reveals that the cro mutation inhibits expression of the gene encoding a protein called Calmodulin-binding transcription factor (Camta) and that an introduction of the Camta-encoding DNA into the genome of cro mutants allows the mutant male to sing a normal song. Therefore, the Camta protein is an essential component for love song generation by males. We further show that knockdown of Camta only in tens of specific neurons in the brain is sufficient for inducing the cro mutant phenotype. This study paves the way for unraveling the mechanistic basis for female-male communications in conspecific mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosei Sato
- Neuro-Network Evolution Project, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Md. Tanveer Ahsan
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
| | - Manabu Ote
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masayuki Koganezawa
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
| | - Daisuke Yamamoto
- Neuro-Network Evolution Project, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
- * E-mail:
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49
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Abstract
A new study investigates the distinct male courtship songs of two related Drosophila species and the neurons controlling this behavior, localizing a site of evolutionary divergence to the motor system, downstream of the central brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana S Galili
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Gregory S X E Jefferis
- Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK; Drosophila Connectomics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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