A Novel Gene Controlling the Timing of Courtship Initiation in Drosophila melanogaster

Over the past 35 years, developmental geneticists have made impressive progress toward an understanding of how genes specify morphology and function, particularly as they relate to the specification of each physical component of an organism. In the last 20 years, male courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a robust model system for the study of genetic specification of behavior. Courtship behavior is both complex and innate, and a single gene, fruitless (fru), is both necessary and sufficient for all aspects of the courtship ritual. Typically, loss of male-specific Fruitless protein function results in male flies that perform the courtship ritual incorrectly, slowly, or not at all. Here we describe a novel requirement for fru: we have identified a group of cells in which male Fru proteins are required to reduce the speed of courtship initiation. In addition, we have identified a gene, Trapped in endoderm 1 (Tre1), which is required in these cells for normal courtship and mating behavior. Tre1 encodes a G-protein-coupled receptor required for establishment of cell polarity and cell migration and has previously not been shown to be involved in courtship behavior. We describe the results of feminization of the Tre1-expressing neurons, as well as the effects on courtship behavior of mutation of Tre1. In addition, we show that Tre1 is expressed in a sexually dimorphic pattern in the central and peripheral nervous systems and investigate the role of the Tre1 cells in mate identification.