Yilmazer, Y.B., Koganezawa, M., Sato, K., Xu, J., Yamamoto, D. (2016). Serotonergic neuronal death and concomitant serotonin deficiency curb copulation ability of Drosophila platonic mutants. Nat. Commun. 7(): 13792.
FlyBase ID
FBrf0234261
Publication Type
Research paper
Abstract
Drosophila platonic (plt) males court females, but fail to copulate. Here we show that plt is an allele of scribbler (sbb), a BMP signalling component. sbb knockdown in larvae leads to the loss of approximately eight serotonergic neurons, which express the sex-determinant protein Doublesex (Dsx). Genetic deprivation of serotonin (5-HT) from dsx-expressing neurons results in copulation defects. Thus, sbb(+) is developmentally required for the survival of a specific subset of dsx-expressing neurons, which support the normal execution of copulation in adults by providing 5-HT. Our study highlights the conserved involvement of serotonergic neurons in the control of copulatory mechanisms and the key role of BMP signalling in the formation of a sex-specific circuitry.
