(Science Daily) Neurobiologists have made a series of discoveries about fruit fly fertility and smell. The findings solve a long-standing puzzle of whether and how courtship-promoting signals are amplified by olfactory receptor neurons, or ORNs. The researchers found that a channel known as PPK25 amplifies courtship signals in the ORNs of male flies. Biologically, PPK25 heightens males’ sensitivity to their mates’ odors at the age of peak fertility, thus promoting courtship when flies are most fertile.
by Staff Writer, October 16th, 2019
Just as humans use their noses for the sense of smell, insects such as fruit flies use their antennae — covered in sensory hairs called sensilla — for olfaction. In flies, the sense of smell plays a fundamental role in courtship.
Nearly 10 years ago, scientists made a significant leap in characterizing insect olfaction when they identified unique properties of the receptor proteins involved. They showed that when odor particles are detected, receptors of the insect “olfactory receptor neurons” (ORNs) function as ion channels; odorant activation directly leads to an influx of positive ions that allows cells to fire, essentially making these channels gateways for ionic flow. But in the past decade little progress has been made in understanding how the strengths of these neuronal responses are regulated.
Buy Book Sex in America: A Definitive Survey
Now, neurobiologists at the University of California San Diego have made a series of discoveries about fruit fly olfactory processing, including solving a long-standing puzzle of whether and how courtship-promoting signals are amplified by these neurons. Staff Research Associate Renny Ng, Assistant Professor Chih-Ying Su and colleagues published their results on Oct. 16, 2019 in the journal Neuron.
The researchers identified the role of a channel permeable to sodium ions. Known as PPK25, the channel amplifies courtship signals in the ORNs of male flies. Mechanistically, these findings draw further similarities between invertebrate olfactory neurons and vertebrate ORNs, which also undergo signal amplification. Biologically, PPK25 heightens males’ sensitivity to their mates’ odors at the age of peak fertility, thus promoting courtship when flies are most fertile.
“Given its evolutionary importance, courtship behavior is under tight hormonal regulation. We find that PPK25 expression is upregulated in those neurons by a reproductive hormone,” said Su, a faculty member in the Division of Biological Sciences Section of Neurobiology. “The expression level in turn determines the ORN response magnitude to impact courtship behavior. Without such amplification, male courtship is severely compromised.”
Buy Book Sex on the Brain: The Biological Differences Between Men and Women
The new findings help neuroscientists bridge a knowledge gap in sensory transduction and opens doors to future research on the impact of sexual cues at the level of individual neurons.
PPK25 is a member of a superfamily of ion channels that may also employ the same amplification mechanism. The study therefore carries implications across several species beyond fruit flies, including worms, mosquitoes and even humans. In principle, the amplification mechanism unraveled in the new study could operate in other sensory modalities such as touch, temperature and hearing.
Materials provided by University of California – San Diego. Original written by Mario Aguilera. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Renny Ng, Secilia S. Salem, Shiuan-Tze Wu, Meilin Wu, Hui-Hao Lin, Andrew K. Shepherd, William J. Joiner, Jing W. Wang, Chih-Ying Su. Amplification of Drosophila Olfactory Responses by a DEG/ENaC Channel. Neuron, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.041
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
Psychology is the study of the nature of mind. Philosophy is the use of that mind in life. Both are critically important to gain an understanding of as they are aspects of the self. All you do and experience will pass through these gateways of being. The preceding information provides an overview of this self-knowledge, offering points to consider that people often don’t take the time to contemplate. With the choice to gain self-awareness, one can begin to see how their being works. With the wisdom of self-awareness, one has the tools to master their being and life in general, bringing order to chaos through navigating the challenges with the capacity for right action.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Send an email to [email protected], with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at [email protected]. Thank you for reading.
Source:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191016111109.htm
Leave a Reply