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Mapping of genetic loci that change pheromone discrimination in Drosophila males

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2002

CONOR McMAHON
Affiliation:
Développement et Communication Chimique, CNRS-UMR 5548, 21000 Dijon, France
GILLES SUREAU
Affiliation:
Mécanismes de Communication, Neurobiologie de L’Apprentissage et de la Mémoire, CNRS UMR 8620, Bât. 446, Université de Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
JEAN-FRANÇOIS FERVEUR
Affiliation:
Développement et Communication Chimique, CNRS-UMR 5548, 21000 Dijon, France
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Abstract

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Reproduction in individual animals of sexual species depends largely upon their ability to detect and distinguish specific signal(s) among those produced by various potential sexual partners. In Drosophila melanogaster males, there is a natural polymorphism for discrimination of female and male principal pheromones that segregates with chromosome 3. We have mapped two loci on chromosome 3 that change sex-pheromone discrimination in males. We successively exploited meiotic recombination, deficiencies and enhancer-trap strains; excision of the transposon in two selected enhancer-trap strains clearly reverted the discrimination phenotype. These results indicate that pheromonal discrimination is a character that can be genetically manipulated, and provide further insights into the evolution of the specific mate recognition system.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press