Title |
The smell of love in Drosophila
|
---|---|
Published in |
Frontiers in Physiology, January 2013
|
DOI | 10.3389/fphys.2013.00072 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Anna B. Ziegler, Martine Berthelot-Grosjean, Yael Grosjean |
Abstract |
Odors are key sensory signals for social communication and food search in animals including insects. Drosophila melanogaster, is a powerful neurogenetic model commonly used to reveal molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in odorant detection. Males use olfaction together with other sensory modalities to find their mates. Here, we review known olfactory signals, their related olfactory receptors, and the corresponding neuronal architecture impacting courtship. OR67d receptor detects 11-cis-Vaccenyl Acetate (cVA), a male specific pheromone transferred to the female during copulation. Transferred cVA is able to reduce female attractiveness for other males after mating, and is also suspected to decrease male-male courtship. cVA can also serve as an aggregation signal, maybe through another OR. OR47b was shown to be activated by fly odors, and to enhance courtship depending on taste pheromones. IR84a detects phenylacetic acid (PAA) and phenylacetaldehyde (PA). These two odors are not pheromones produced by flies, but are present in various fly food sources. PAA enhances male courtship, acting as a food aphrodisiac. Drosophila males have thus developed complementary olfactory strategies to help them to select their mates. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1 | 25% |
Switzerland | 1 | 25% |
Unknown | 2 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 3 | 75% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 25% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Portugal | 1 | <1% |
Germany | 1 | <1% |
France | 1 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Argentina | 1 | <1% |
Japan | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 103 | 92% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 28 | 25% |
Researcher | 27 | 24% |
Student > Bachelor | 12 | 11% |
Student > Master | 9 | 8% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 6% |
Other | 15 | 13% |
Unknown | 14 | 13% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 65 | 58% |
Neuroscience | 14 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 8 | 7% |
Psychology | 3 | 3% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 2% |
Other | 6 | 5% |
Unknown | 14 | 13% |