Genetic Feminization of Brain Structures and Changed Sexual Orientation in Male Drosophila

1995/02/10 by Jean‐François Ferveur, Klemens F. Störtkuhl, Reinhard F. Stocker +1 · 3 citations
Neuroscience · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Immunology and Microbiology · #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms

paper · doi:10.1126/science.7846534

openalex publication_date 1995/02/10 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

The neural basis of sexual orientation in Drosophila was studied by the production of males with regionally feminized brains. Such flies express the female form of the sex determination gene transformer in a limited number of neurons under the control of GAL4 enhancer trap inserts. This method facilitated the creation of lines with a stable pattern of feminization. In tests of sexual preferences, flies that were feminized in a portion of the antennal lobes or in a subset of the corpora pedunculata (mushroom bodies) courted both males and females. These two brain structures, both of which are involved in olfactory processing, may function in the recognition of sex-specific pheromones, in the control of sex-specific behaviors, or both.

Citations

• Projection patterns of different types of antennal sensilla in the antennal glomeruli of Drosophila melanogaster
• The organization of the chemosensory system in Drosophila melanogaster: a rewiew
• Neuronal architecture of the antennal lobe in Drosophila melanogaster
• Functional Specialization of Olfactory Glomeruli in a Moth
• Targeted gene expression as a means of altering cell fates and generating dominant phenotypes

Cited by

• Voila, a NewDrosophilaCourtship Variant that Affects the Nervous System: Behavioral, Neural, and Genetic Characterization
• The Genetic VariantVoila1Causes Gustatory Defects duringDrosophilaDevelopment
• Reinhard F. Stocker [wikipedia]