Quantitative Genomics of Aggressive Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Edwards, Alexis C.; Rollmann, Stephanie M.; Morgan, Theodore J.; Mackay, Trudy F. C.

doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.0020154.eor

Cited by 38 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Experiments described here were performed with bullies selected for 34-37 generations. Similar selection schemes were used by other investigators to produce highly aggressive flies (12,13).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

A single social defeat reduces aggression in a highly aggressive strain of Drosophila

Penn

Zito

Kravitz

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Genes and prior experience both influence the behavior of animals, but the relative contribution of each to fighting behavior in Drosophila remains unclear. To address this issue, we bred hyperaggressive flies by selecting winners of fights over 34-37 generations. Males of this strain initiate fights sooner, retaliate more often, and regularly defeat opponents from the nonselected parent Canton-S strain. After a defeat, however, these highly aggressive flies lose their second fights against socially naïve counterparts. Defeated flies also lunge and retaliate less after experiencing a loss, suggesting that the subsequent losses result from flies becoming less aggressive. Remarkably, flies that were once capable of engaging in highintensity boxing and tussling patterns of behavior for extended periods of time often do not even engage in mid-intensity lunging after a single defeat. Furthermore, these formerly highly aggressive flies lose all competitive advantage over nonselected Canton-S after experiencing a loss. Lastly, females were more likely to copulate with males from the nonselected parent line than with the hyperaggressive strain.behavior | fighting | flies | learning | memory

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

A single social defeat reduces aggression in a highly aggressive strain of Drosophila

Penn

Zito

Kravitz

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Cyp6a20 was expressed at relatively lower levels both in AggrI&II vs. NeutrI&II (4) and socially isolated vs. grouphoused flies. An independent microarray experiment identified many genes differentially expressed in flies selected for increased aggressiveness, but Cyp6a20 was not among them (5). However, that study differed in several important details from the methods used in our own experiments and those described in ref.…”

Section: Group Housing Suppresses Aggressiveness In a Reversible Mannermentioning

confidence: 84%

“…An important unanswered question is whether these influences act by independent or shared biological mechanisms. Although genes underlying heritable differences in aggressiveness are beginning to be identified (4,5), very little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying environmental influences on aggression.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A common genetic target for environmental and heritable influences on aggressiveness in Drosophila

Wang¹,

Dankert²,

Perona³

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Environmental and genetic factors can modulate aggressiveness, but the biological mechanisms underlying their influence are largely unknown. Social experience with conspecifics suppresses aggressiveness in both vertebrate and invertebrate species, including Drosophila. We searched for genes whose expression levels correlate with the influence of social experience on aggressiveness in Drosophila by performing microarray analysis of head tissue from socially isolated (aggressive) vs. socially experienced (nonaggressive) male flies. Among Ϸ200 differentially expressed genes, only one was also present in a gene set previously identified by profiling Drosophila strains subjected to genetic selection for differences in aggressiveness [Dierick HA, Greenspan RJ (2006) Nat Genet 38:1023-1031]. This gene, Cyp6a20, encodes a cytochrome P450. Social experience increased Cyp6a20 expression and decreased aggressiveness in a reversible manner. In Cyp6a20 mutants, aggressiveness was increased in group-housed but not socially isolated flies. These data identify a common genetic target for environmental and heritable influences on aggressiveness. Cyp6a20 is expressed in a subset of nonneuronal support cells associated with pheromone-sensing olfactory sensilla, suggesting that social experience may influence aggressiveness by regulating pheromone sensitivity.aggression ͉ cytochrome P450 ͉ pheromone

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“…The elucidation of the genes and neuronal circuitry that regulate aggression is key to the understanding of its mechanisms. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has recently emerged as a model system to study aggression [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] . Several conserved neuromodulators have been shown to play a role in fly aggression [5][6][7] .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tailless and Atrophin control Drosophila aggression by regulating neuropeptide signalling in the pars intercerebralis

et al. 2014

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Aggressive behaviour is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. However, its mechanisms are poorly understood, and the degree of molecular conservation between distantly related species is unknown. Here we show that knockdown of tailless (tll) increases aggression in Drosophila, similar to the effect of its mouse orthologue Nr2e1. Tll localizes to the adult pars intercerebralis (PI), which shows similarity to the mammalian hypothalamus. Knockdown of tll in the PI is sufficient to increase aggression and is rescued by co-expressing human NR2E1. Knockdown of Atrophin, a Tll co-repressor, also increases aggression, and both proteins physically interact in the PI. tll knockdown-induced aggression is fully suppressed by blocking neuropeptide processing or release from the PI. In addition, genetically activating PI neurons increases aggression, mimicking the aggression-inducing effect of hypothalamic stimulation. Together, our results suggest that a transcriptional control module regulates neuropeptide signalling from the neurosecretory cells of the brain to control aggressive behaviour.

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Quantitative Genomics of Aggressive Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Cited by 38 publications

References 43 publications

A single social defeat reduces aggression in a highly aggressive strain of Drosophila

A single social defeat reduces aggression in a highly aggressive strain of Drosophila

A common genetic target for environmental and heritable influences on aggressiveness in Drosophila

Tailless and Atrophin control Drosophila aggression by regulating neuropeptide signalling in the pars intercerebralis

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