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Hearing regulates Drosophila aggression.

ABSTRACT: Aggression is a universal social behavior important for the acquisition of food, mates, territory, and social status. Aggression in Drosophila is context-dependent and can thus be expected to involve inputs from multiple sensory modalities. Here, we use mechanical disruption and genetic approaches in Drosophila melanogaster to identify hearing as an important sensory modality in the context of intermale aggressive behavior. We demonstrate that neuronal silencing and targeted knockdown of hearing genes in the fly's auditory organ elicit abnormal aggression. Further, we show that exposure to courtship or aggression song has opposite effects on aggression. Our data define the importance of hearing in the control of Drosophila intermale aggression and open perspectives to decipher how hearing and other sensory modalities are integrated at the neural circuit level.

SUBMITTER: Versteven M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5338383 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Hearing regulates Drosophila aggression.

Versteven Marijke M Vanden Broeck Lies L Geurten Bart B Zwarts Liesbeth L Decraecker Lisse L Beelen Melissa M Göpfert Martin C MC Heinrich Ralf R Callaerts Patrick P

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20170123 8

Aggression is a universal social behavior important for the acquisition of food, mates, territory, and social status. Aggression in Drosophila is context-dependent and can thus be expected to involve inputs from multiple sensory modalities. Here, we use mechanical disruption and genetic approaches in Drosophila melanogaster to identify hearing as an important sensory modality in the context of intermale aggressive behavior. We demonstrate that neuronal silencing and targeted knockd ...[more]

PMID: 28115690

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