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研究揭示联系雌性果蝇交配和产卵的神经回路
作者:小柯机器人 发布时间:2020/2/27 15:54:38

近日,美国霍华德-休斯医学研究所Barry J. Dickson及其研究组揭示出雌性果蝇中联系交配和产卵的神经回路。2020年2月26日,《自然》杂志在线发表了这一成果。

研究人员在果蝇中鉴定了联系产卵与交配状态的神经回路。雌性特定产卵下行神经元(oviDN)的激活对于产卵是必要且充分的,并且对未交配和交配雌性同样有效。交配后,性腺肽(一种来自雄性精液的蛋白质)触发了雌性的许多行为和生理变化,包括产卵的开始。性肽由子宫中的感觉神经元感知到,并沉默这些神经元及其腹神经节中突触后上行神经元。
 
研究人员发现,这些腹部神经节神经元直接激活雌性特定的pC1神经元。GABA能(γ-氨基丁酸释放)排卵抑制神经元(oviIN)介导从pC1神经元到oviDN及其主要兴奋性输入物,即排卵性兴奋神经元(oviEN)的前馈抑制。通过减弱pC1神经元和oviIN的腹部神经节输入,性肽可以抑制oviDN,从而在交配后产卵。因此,该回路协调雌性生殖中的两个关键事件:交配和产卵。
 
据悉,交配和产卵是所有卵生雌性动物生殖生活中紧密协调的事件。产卵通常在未交配过的动物中很少见,在交配后才开始。
 
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

期刊信息

Nature:《自然》,创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团,最新IF:43.07
官方网址:http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接:http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html