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Brain and Behavior: The Role of the fruitless gene in Complex Behavior in Drosophila

Whitney Humphrey Dr. Barbara Taylor HHMI Summer Program. Brain and Behavior: The Role of the fruitless gene in Complex Behavior in Drosophila. Understanding of the interaction between the central nervous system and behavior . Neurological diseases in humans

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Brain and Behavior: The Role of the fruitless gene in Complex Behavior in Drosophila

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  1. Whitney Humphrey Dr. Barbara Taylor HHMI Summer Program Brain and Behavior: The Role of the fruitless gene in Complex Behavior in Drosophila

  2. Understanding of the interaction between the central nervous system and behavior. Neurological diseases in humans Sex Determination and Sexual Orientation in flies Relevance of Work

  3. Ideal model organisms for studying genetics • Short generation time • Many strains exists Drosophila melanogaster

  4. Sex-specific Behavioral differences in Drosophila Courtship Aggression

  5. Male vs. female Genetics • In females, a cascade is initiated and through splicing events produce a female-specific transcript encoding a female-specific protein: • DoublesexF (DsxF) In males, a cascade is initiated but different splicing events produce male-specific transcripts encoding male-specific proteins: -FruitlessM(FruM) -DoublesexM(DsxM)

  6. In fru mutants, male behavior is altered • Expected behavior: • -Males court females • Production of song • Copulation Deficiencies Fru3, Fru4 (P-element inserts) Fru1 (Inversion) Unexpected behavior: -Female-male courtship interrupted -Male-male courtship observed -This event is referred to as chaining. -May or may not be song but copulation does not occur

  7. Average activity levels for cantons flies DL Cycle: 12-hours lights on, 12-hours lights off Males: Anticipate lights on and have very little activity during the day (siesta) Females: Do not anticipate lights on and do not take a siesta.

  8. The Drosophila activity monitor How we measure activity: The DL cycle: 9:00 - 20:59 – Lights on 21:00 - 8:59 – Lights off

  9. Activity of wildtype males Individual Raw Data Lights on Lights off n = 20

  10. Do Fruhypomorphsmales have wildtype activity cycles? n = 20 n = 10 n = 10

  11. frum null mutants have wildtype activity cycles n = 12 n = 12

  12. A roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes. Circadian rhythm CSA Fru440x Frusat15

  13. Initially, we investigated if mutations in fruitless affected the male pattern of activity in flies. • We conclude that fruitless does not affect sex-specific activity cycles. • However, fruitless mutants show levels of decreased activity. • We also discovered that the fruitless mutants with deficiencies did not have a 24-hour period. Conclusion

  14. Dr. Barbara Taylor Dr. JagaGiebultowicz Will Gibson Eileen Chow Dr. Kevin Ahern HHMI Summer Undergraduate Research Program Acknowledgments

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