本期封面所示為一只雄性果蠅在對(duì)另一只走在它前面的雄性對(duì)手進(jìn)行“翅膀威脅”，這是一種典型的攻擊行為,。圖片被轉(zhuǎn)換成了假彩色,，以更清楚地演示該行為,。
控制進(jìn)攻性的信息素已在昆蟲和小鼠身上被發(fā)現(xiàn),，但其中所涉及的神經(jīng)回路卻仍不清楚。Liming Wung 和David Anderson發(fā)現(xiàn),，由雄性果蠅產(chǎn)生的揮發(fā)性信息素cVA (cis-vaccenyl acetate)能通過激發(fā)表達(dá)一種名為Or67d 的cVA受體蛋白的嗅覺神經(jīng)元來促進(jìn)雄性對(duì)雄性的攻擊性,。這個(gè)神經(jīng)回路是通過由cVA促進(jìn)的攻擊性來調(diào)控雄性種群密度及雄性果蠅從食物源的擴(kuò)散所必需的。用經(jīng)典遺傳模型果蠅所進(jìn)行的這項(xiàng)研究工作,，使有關(guān)攻擊行為的研究向詳細(xì)的基因操縱和調(diào)查方法敞開了大門,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
Nature Neuroscience：發(fā)現(xiàn)爭(zhēng)斗行為分子和細(xì)胞機(jī)理
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature 463, 227-231 (14 January 2010) | doi:10.1038/nature08678
Identification of an aggression-promoting pheromone and its receptor neurons in Drosophila
Liming Wang1 & David J. Anderson1,2
1 Division of Biology 216-76,
2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
3 Correspondence to: Liming Wang1David J. Anderson1,2 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.J.A. or L.W.
Aggression is regulated by pheromones in many animal species1, 2, 3. However, in no system have aggression pheromones, their cognate receptors and corresponding sensory neurons been identified. Here we show that 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a male-specific volatile pheromone, robustly promotes male–male aggression in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. The aggression-promoting effect of synthetic cVA requires olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the receptor Or67d4, 5, 6, as well as the receptor itself. Activation of Or67d-expressing OSNs, either by genetic manipulation of their excitability or by exposure to male pheromones in the absence of other classes of OSNs, is sufficient to promote aggression. High densities of male flies can promote aggression by the release of volatile cVA. In turn, cVA-promoted aggression can promote male fly dispersal from a food resource, in a manner dependent on Or67d-expressing OSNs. These data indicate that cVA may mediate negative-feedback control of male population density, through its effect on aggression. Identification of a pheromone–OSN pair controlling aggression in a genetic organism opens the way to unravelling the neurobiology of this evolutionarily conserved behaviour.
