研究揭示聯繫雌性果蠅交配和產卵的神經迴路
作者:
小柯機器人發布時間:2020/2/27 15:54:38
近日,美國霍華德-休斯醫學研究所Barry J. Dickson及其研究組揭示出雌性果蠅中聯繫交配和產卵的神經迴路。2020年2月26日,《自然》雜誌在線發表了這一成果。
研究人員在果蠅中鑑定了聯繫產卵與交配狀態的神經迴路。雌性特定產卵下行神經元(oviDN)的激活對於產卵是必要且充分的,並且對未交配和交配雌性同樣有效。交配後,性腺肽(一種來自雄性精液的蛋白質)觸發了雌性的許多行為和生理變化,包括產卵的開始。性肽由子宮中的感覺神經元感知到,並沉默這些神經元及其腹神經節中突觸後上行神經元。
研究人員發現,這些腹部神經節神經元直接激活雌性特定的pC1神經元。GABA能(γ-氨基丁酸釋放)排卵抑制神經元(oviIN)介導從pC1神經元到oviDN及其主要興奮性輸入物,即排卵性興奮神經元(oviEN)的前饋抑制。通過減弱pC1神經元和oviIN的腹部神經節輸入,性肽可以抑制oviDN,從而在交配後產卵。因此,該迴路協調雌性生殖中的兩個關鍵事件:交配和產卵。
據悉,交配和產卵是所有卵生雌性動物生殖生活中緊密協調的事件。產卵通常在未交配過的動物中很少見,在交配後才開始。
附:英文原文
Title: Neural circuitry linking mating and egg laying in Drosophila females
Author: Fei Wang, Kaiyu Wang, Nora Forknall, Christopher Patrick, Tansy Yang, Ruchi Parekh, Davi Bock, Barry J. Dickson
Issue&Volume: 2020-02-26
Abstract: Mating and egg laying are tightly cooordinated events in the reproductive life of all oviparous females. Oviposition is typically rare in virgin females but is initiated after copulation. Here we identify the neural circuitry that links egg laying to mating status in Drosophila melanogaster. Activation of female-specific oviposition descending neurons (oviDNs) is necessary and sufficient for egg laying, and is equally potent in virgin and mated females. After mating, sex peptide—a protein from the male seminal fluid—triggers many behavioural and physiological changes in the female, including the onset of egg laying1. Sex peptide is detected by sensory neurons in the uterus2,3,4, and silences these neurons and their postsynaptic ascending neurons in the abdominal ganglion5. We show that these abdominal ganglion neurons directly activate the female-specific pC1 neurons. GABAergic (γ-aminobutyric-acid-releasing) oviposition inhibitory neurons (oviINs) mediate feed-forward inhibition from pC1 neurons to both oviDNs and their major excitatory input, the oviposition excitatory neurons (oviENs). By attenuating the abdominal ganglion inputs to pC1 neurons and oviINs, sex peptide disinhibits oviDNs to enable egg laying after mating. This circuitry thus coordinates the two key events in female reproduction: mating and egg laying.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2055-9
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2055-9