眾所周知,，物種內(nèi)及物種間的社會互動依賴于化學溝通，但其中所涉及的編碼卻隱藏在信息素的復雜混合物中?，F(xiàn)在,，Billeter等人通過基因方法去除了黑腹果蠅表皮中產(chǎn)生烴類信息素的細胞（即絳色細胞），從而形成用以研究化學溝通的一種“空白狀態(tài)”,。令人吃驚的是,，沒有絳色細胞的果蠅不管是公是母對于雄性果蠅來說都極有性吸引力，甚至對來自一個不同種的雄性也有吸引力,。用不同的合成化學藥劑噴灑這些果蠅,，可以恢復正常的社會和物種界線。（生物谷Bioon.com）
名詞解讀：
絳色細胞（oenocyte）
絳色細胞是昆蟲體內(nèi)一種由皮細胞轉化而來的細胞,，一部分在皮細胞中,，一部分游離在體腔中，多在氣門周圍,，與中間代謝有關,。它的作用很多，如分泌激素,，參入脫皮,，卵巢的發(fā)育等等。
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature 461, 987-991 (15 October 2009) | doi:10.1038/nature08495
Specialized cells tag sexual and species identity in Drosophila melanogaster
Jean-Christophe Billeter1, Jade Atallah1, Joshua J. Krupp1, Jocelyn G. Millar2 & Joel D. Levine1
1 Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada
2 Department of Entomology, University of California, 3401 Watkins Drive, Riverside, California 92521, USA
3 Correspondence to: Joel D. Levine1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to J.D.L.
Social interactions depend on individuals recognizing each other, and in this context many organisms use chemical signals to indicate species and sex1. Cuticular hydrocarbon signals are used by insects, including Drosophila melanogaster, to distinguish conspecific individuals from others1, 2, 3. These chemicals also contribute to intraspecific courtship and mating interactions1, 2, 3. However, the possibility that sex and species identification are linked by common chemical signalling mechanisms has not been formally tested. Here we provide direct evidence that a single compound is used to communicate female identity among D. melanogaster, and to define a reproductive isolation barrier between D. melanogaster and sibling species. A transgenic manipulation eliminated cuticular hydrocarbons by ablating the oenocytes, specialized cells required for the expression of these chemical signals. The resulting oenocyte-less (oe-) females elicited the normal repertoire of courtship behaviours from males, but were actually preferred over wild-type females by courting males. In addition, wild-type males attempted to copulate with oe- males. Thus, flies lacking hydrocarbons are a sexual hyperstimulus. Treatment of virgin females with the aversive male pheromone cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) significantly delayed mating of oe- females compared to wild-type females. This difference was eliminated when oe- females were treated with a blend of cVA and the female aphrodisiac (7Z,11Z)-heptacosadiene (7,11-HD), showing that female aphrodisiac compounds can attenuate the effects of male aversive pheromones. 7,11-HD also was shown to have a crucial role in heterospecific encounters. Specifically, the species barrier was lost because males of other Drosophila species courted oe- D. melanogaster females, and D. simulans males consistently mated with them. Treatment of oe- females with 7,11-HD restored the species barrier, showing that a single compound can confer species identity. These results identify a common mechanism for sexual and species recognition regulated by cuticular hydrocarbons.
