Male-specific expression of the Fruitless protein is not common to all Drosophila species

  • Daisuke Yamamoto
  • Kazue Usui-Aoki
  • Seigo Shima
Chapter
Part of the Contemporary Issues in Genetics and Evolution book series (CIGE, volume 11)

Abstract

Sex-specific behavioral patterns must be a result of sexual differences in the structure and/or function of the central nervous system (CNS). Male Drosophila melanogaster mutants for the fruitless (fru) locus exhibit enhanced male-to-male courtship. The fru mutant males are accompanied by malformation of the male-specific muscle of Lawrence (MOL), which, in wild-type males, is induced by male motoneurons innervating it. These two phenotypes are the consequences of impaired sex determination of CNS neurons. In D. melanogaster, although the fru mRNAs are transcribed in the CNS of both the male and female, the Fru protein is only translated in the male CNS. This male-specific translation of Fru was also observed in D. simulans, D. yakuba, D. pseudoobscura and D. virilis; however, in D. suzukii, the Fru protein expression was detected even in the female CNS.

Key words

central nervous system fruitless sex determination Transformer translational control 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2004

Authors and Affiliations

  • Daisuke Yamamoto
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
  • Kazue Usui-Aoki
    • 2
  • Seigo Shima
    • 1
  1. 1.Laboratory of Genetics, Graduate School of Human SciencesUSA
  2. 2.Advanced Institute for Science and EngineeringWaseda UniversityTokyoJapan
  3. 3.Centre Scientifique d’OrsayUniversite Paris XIOrsay, CedexFrance

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