1. Neurosciences Program and
2. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
3. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2914, USA
4. Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254, USA

Correspondence to: Bruce S. Baker² Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to B.S.B. (Email: bbaker@pmgm2.stanford.edu).

Abstract

Robust innate behaviours are attractive systems for genetically dissecting how environmental cues are perceived and integrated to generate complex behaviours. During courtship, Drosophila males engage in a series of innate, stereotyped behaviours that are coordinated by specific sensory cues. However, little is known about the specific neural substrates mediating this complex behavioural programme¹. Genetic, developmental and behavioural studies have shown that the fruitless (fru) gene encodes a set of male-specific transcription factors (Fru^M) that act to establish the potential for courtship in Drosophila². Fru^M proteins are expressed in 2% of central nervous system neurons, at least one subset of which coordinates the component behaviours of courtship^{3, 4}. Here we have inserted the yeast GAL4 gene into the fru locus by homologous recombination and show that (1) Fru^M is expressed in subsets of all peripheral sensory systems previously implicated in courtship, (2) inhibition of Fru^M function in olfactory system components reduces olfactory-dependent changes in courtship behaviour, (3) transient inactivation of all Fru^M-expressing neurons abolishes courtship behaviour, with no other gross changes in general behaviour, and (4) 'masculinization' of Fru^M-expressing neurons in females is largely sufficient to confer male courtship behaviour. Together, these data demonstrate that Fru^M proteins specify the neural substrates of male courtship.

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