GABAergic signaling shapes multiple aspects of Drosophila courtship motor behavior

TY - JOUR

T1 - GABAergic signaling shapes multiple aspects of Drosophila courtship motor behavior

AU - Amin, Hoger

AU - Nolte, Stella S.

AU - Swain, Bijayalaxmi

AU - von Philipsborn, Anne C.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors

PY - 2023/11

Y1 - 2023/11

N2 - Inhibitory neurons are essential for orchestrating and structuring behavior. We use one of the best studied behaviors in Drosophila, male courtship, to analyze how inhibitory, GABAergic neurons shape the different steps of this multifaceted motor sequence. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the GABA-producing enzyme GAD1 and the ionotropic receptor Rdl in sex specific, fruitless expressing neurons in the ventral nerve cord causes uncoordinated and futile copulation attempts, defects in wing extension choice and severe alterations of courtship song. Altered song of GABA depleted males fails to stimulate female receptivity, but rescue of song patterning alone is not sufficient to rescue male mating success. Knockdown of GAD1 and Rdl in male brain circuits abolishes courtship conditioning. We characterize the around 220 neurons coexpressing GAD1 and Fruitless in the Drosophila male nervous system and propose inhibitory circuit motifs underlying key features of courtship behavior based on the observed phenotypes.

AB - Inhibitory neurons are essential for orchestrating and structuring behavior. We use one of the best studied behaviors in Drosophila, male courtship, to analyze how inhibitory, GABAergic neurons shape the different steps of this multifaceted motor sequence. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the GABA-producing enzyme GAD1 and the ionotropic receptor Rdl in sex specific, fruitless expressing neurons in the ventral nerve cord causes uncoordinated and futile copulation attempts, defects in wing extension choice and severe alterations of courtship song. Altered song of GABA depleted males fails to stimulate female receptivity, but rescue of song patterning alone is not sufficient to rescue male mating success. Knockdown of GAD1 and Rdl in male brain circuits abolishes courtship conditioning. We characterize the around 220 neurons coexpressing GAD1 and Fruitless in the Drosophila male nervous system and propose inhibitory circuit motifs underlying key features of courtship behavior based on the observed phenotypes.

KW - Behavioral neuroscience

KW - Biological sciences

KW - Molecular neuroscience

KW - Neuroscience

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173452788&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108069

DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108069

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37860694

AN - SCOPUS:85173452788

SN - 2589-0042

VL - 26

JO - iScience

JF - iScience

IS - 11

M1 - 108069

ER -