821A Poster - 13. Neural development and physiology
Thursday April 07, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Authors:
Sofia Leone; Julia Duckhorn; Sofia Altamirano; Troy Shirangi

Affiliation: Villanova University, Villanova, PA

Keywords:
d. neuronal specification; g. courtship and mating

The dissatisfaction gene (dsf) in Drosophila is required for development of discrete courtship behaviors in both sexes. We recently identified a small sexually dimorphic population of dsf-expressing interneurons in the adult abdominal ganglion—the ddag neurons—whose activity is necessary and sufficient for vaginal plate opening behavior in virgin females and abdominal bending in males during courtship. The developmental origin of the ddag neurons is currently unclear. Here, we used the Flp-Switch system to conditionally immortalize gfp expression in dsf-expressing neurons of the larva and found that a subset of these neurons become the ddag neurons of the adult. During pupal life, a subset of dsf-expressing abdominal interneurons present in the larval central nervous system of both sexes gain expression of the sex determination gene, doublesex. We hypothesize that these larval neurons sexually differentiate during pupal development to contribute to abdominal courtship behaviors in the adult. Our results suggest that the neural circuits for courtship behaviors in the adult arise in part from larval interneurons that are repurposed during pupal life.