Figure 3: Visual motion cues initiate PPL2ab neuron-mediated male-male courtship behaviour. | Scientific Reports

Figure 3: Visual motion cues initiate PPL2ab neuron-mediated male-male courtship behaviour.

From: Active and passive sexual roles that arise in Drosophila male-male courtship are modulated by dopamine levels in PPL2ab neurons

Figure 3

(a) Ten-day-old mature male flies overexpressing TH in PPL2ab neurons displayed visual signal-dependent male-male courtship interactions. There were significant differences in the courtship indices of flies carrying murashka-1-Gal4 > UAS-TH, NP3024-Gal4 > UAS-TH, NP5945-Gal4 > UAS-TH, or LG121-LexA > LexAop-TH compared to their corresponding driver- and effector-heterozygous controls in the white light condition (test groups no. 1–10). However, we observed no courtship responses in the dim red light condition (test groups no. 11–20). Each column represents the mean of 18 tests. (b) The transmission of chemical signals was not necessary for PPL2ab neuron-mediated male-male courtship behaviour. The illustration of the device at the top of the panel for test groups no. 1–18 depicts a courtship testing arena with a transparent plastic paper, which blocked any possible transmission of chemical cues between courter and courtee males. There were significant differences in the courtship index between flies carrying murashka-1-Gal4 > UAS-TH or LG121-LexA > LexAop-TH and their corresponding driver- and effector-heterozygous controls (test groups no. 1–6). When we used a dead (test groups no. 7–12) or immobilized decapitated male (test groups no. 13–18) as a courtee in the courtship pair test, we did not observe any courtship responses (# denotes no score for courtship index). When the dead courtee was moved manually in a motion without a fixed trajectory (the assay is diagrammed at the top of the test results for groups no. 19–24), the inter-male courtship behaviour was once more observed. We found significant differences in flies carrying murashka-1-Gal4 > UAS-TH or LG121-LexA > LexAop-TH compared to their corresponding driver- and effector-heterozygous controls (test groups no. 19–24). Each column represents the mean of 18 tests. Error bars indicate + SEM, ***P < 0.001. We used a one-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey’s test for our analyses.

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