Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Andrew C Lin
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Megan C Neville
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Tetsuya Nojima
Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Fengqiu Diao
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, United States
Brian E Chen
Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
Benjamin H White
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, United States
Copulation is the goal of the courtship process, crucial to reproductive success and evolutionary fitness. Identifying the circuitry underlying copulation is a necessary step towards understanding universal principles of circuit operation, and how circuit elements are recruited into the production of ordered action sequences. Here, we identify key sex-specific neurons that mediate copulation in Drosophila, and define a sexually dimorphic motor circuit in the male abdominal ganglion that mediates the action sequence of initiating and terminating copulation. This sexually dimorphic circuit composed of three neuronal classes – motor neurons, interneurons and mechanosensory neurons – controls the mechanics of copulation. By correlating the connectivity, function and activity of these neurons we have determined the logic for how this circuitry is coordinated to generate this male-specific behavior, and sets the stage for a circuit-level dissection of active sensing and modulation of copulatory behavior.
