Figure 6. Fru^M expression is downstream of juvenile hormone signaling in Or47b neurons.

(A) Effect of ectopic expression of Tra^F on JHA-dependent enhancement in Or47b ORN pheromone response. n=18 flies per condition, 7-day SH males. Odor stimulation: 45 μg palmitoleic acid (PA).

(B) Pheromone responses in 7-day GH males with the following manipulations in Or47b ORNs: GAL4 control (black), Fru^M overexpression (blue), Met knockdown (red), and simultaneous Fru^M overexpression and Met knockdown (green). n=14 flies per condition. Odor stimulation: 4.5 ng to 450 μg PA.

(C) Expression of fru^P1 transcript in antennae of 7-day GH males following RNAi-mediated knockdown of Met in Or47b neurons, n=10 samples per condition. For each sample, RNA was extracted from antennal tissues of 50 males. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine fru^P1 transcript expression levels. Data normalized to mean fru^P1 expression in Or47b-GAL4 controls. The fru^P1 transcript encodes the Fru^M protein in males. Dots represent individual samples. Bars represent mean of 10 samples.

(D) Model showing that the Fru^M locus acts as a genomic coincidence detector to integrate social context with the hormonal state of a fly. Group housing activates the CaMKI/CBP pathway, which in turn enhances the effect of juvenile hormone signaling in Or47b neurons. Graded levels of Fru^M expression fine-tune neuronal properties, with significant impacts on mating behavior.

Significant differences are denoted by *, p<0.05 or different letters (p<0.05), determined by two-way (A) or one-way (B, C) ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test. Data are presented as mean ±SEM (A, B). Line width in PSTH indicates SEM.

See also Figure S6.