Mapping the Circuitry for Drosophila Male MT 2 Middlebury College, Mapping the Circuitry for Drosophila Male Aggression Walker, AM 12*, Bailey, SJ 3 1 University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Missoula, MT 2 Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 3University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, Missoula, MT Mapping the Circuitry for Drosophila Male Aggression Walker, AM 12*, Bailey, JA 3, Certel, SJ 3 1 University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Missoula, MT 2 Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 3University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, Missoula, MT Mapping the Circuitry for Drosophila Male Aggression Walker, AM 12*, Bailey, JA 3, Certel, SJ 3 1 University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Missoula, MT 2 Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 3University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, Missoula, MT The OA  1R receptor is required in peripheral neurons to interpret environmental information Edmond Brewer, Jonathan Andrews 1, and Sarah J Certel 1,2 Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience 1, Division of Biological Sciences 2, University of Montana Missoula, MT 1- How is behavior wired into the brain? In many species, chemical signals from the environment trigger a variety of possible behavioral responses by an organism including feeding, aggression, and courtship. How neurons located at the periphery receive these signals and mediate the strength of this information before sending it forward to the brain remains unclear. The neurotransmitter octopamine (OA, the insect equivalent of norepinephrine) has been shown by experiments from our lab and others to be required to promote male aggression (A,B,C). After OA is released into the extracellular space, it must bind to its receptors to elicit a response. 2- Methods 3- Is this territory worth fighting for? Communicating water sensitivity Acknowledgements: Pickpocket28 (ppk28) is a gene that codes for an ion channel protein that detects the presence of water. The green represents the OAβ1R neurons and the red represents the ppk28 neurons. 4- Is this territory worth fighting for? Detecting sugar content Figures A-C are images of the proboscis, and Figures D-F are of the last segment of the leg. The green represents the OAβ1R neurons and the red represents the Gr64e neurons. Arrows point to areas of high co-localization. 5- Is this territory worth fighting for? Detecting sugar content Mapping the Circuitry for Drosophila Male Aggression Walker, AM 12*, Bailey, JA 3, Certel, SJ 3 1 University of Montana, Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Missoula, MT 2 Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 3University of Montana, Center for Structural Neuroscience, Missoula, MT 6- Is this territory worth fighting for? Detecting sugar content 7- Conclusions and Looking to the Future GFP UAS-Gal4 system that produces GFP in neurons of interest. OAβ1R (A) Oa  1R-expressing neurons may be involved in the detection of water, and possibly the regulation of water intake. Oa  1R-expressing neurons may be involved in the detection of sugar and regulating sugar intake. These results are a launching point to learn how any organism modulates their behavior based on the interpretation of outside signals. (C) OAβ1R neurons in the legs and proboscis expressing GFP (B) OAβ1R neurons in the brain expressing GFP We are using the UAS/Gal4 system, which comprises of Gal4, a transcriptional activator that binds to UAS, which is an enhancer, in order to increase transcription (A). We are identifying neurons in the periphery that respond to water and sugar. I am removing the legs and mouth parts of males that express a fluorescent marker separately in these different neuron categories as well as expressing a fluorescent reporter for the OAβ1R receptor (B,C). (A) (D) (E) (F) (B) (C) Figures A-C are images of the proboscis, and Figures D-F are of the last segment of the leg. The green represents the OAβ1R neurons and the red represents the Gr64f neurons. Arrows point to areas of high co-localization. (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) Figures A-C are images of the proboscis, and Figures D-F are of the last segment of the leg. The green represents the OAβ1R neurons and the red represents the Gr64b neurons. Arrows point to areas of high co- localization. (D) (E) (F) (A) To understand how signals from the environment are received and interpreted to generate male aggression and courtship, I am identifying and assigning behavioral roles to neurons that express the Drosophila octopamine receptor, OAβ1R. Co-localization between OA  1R and ppk28 octopamine (B) (C) Co-localization between OA  1R and Gr64e, which is a sugar-sensing neuron. High sugar content Low sugar content What will be gained from this territory? Co-localization between OA  1R and Gr64f, which is a sugar-sensing neuron. Future Experiments Now that specific neurons have been identified to possibly utilize octopamine, we can set up aggression assays in which the water or sugar content of the substrate has been altered. Quantifying the aggression that results will allow us to determine the involvement of octopamine in both the ppk28 and the Gr64 neuronal pathways. Co-localization between OA  1R and Gr64b, which is a sugar-sensing neuron. (A) (B) (C)(C)