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A female‐specific desaturase gene responsible for diene hydrocarbon biosynthesis and courtship behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster
Author(s) -
Chertemps T.,
Duportets L.,
Labeur C.,
Ueyama M.,
WickerThomas C.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2006.00658.x
Subject(s) - drosophila melanogaster , biology , melanogaster , courtship , gene , rna interference , sex pheromone , genetics , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , zoology , rna
Drosophila melanogaster shows sexually dimorphic cuticular hydrocarbons, with monoenes produced in males and dienes produced in females. Here we describe a female‐specific desaturase gene, desatF . RNAi knock‐down led to a dramatic decrease in female dienes and increase in monoenes paralleled with an increase in copulation latency and a decrease in courtship index and copulation attempts by the males. The desatF gene was also expressed in females from D. sechellia , rich in dienes, but not D. simulans , which produce only monoenes. When hydrocarbons were feminized in D. melanogaster males by targeted expression of the transformer gene, the expression of desatF occurred. These results strongly suggest that desatF is a crucial enzyme for female pheromone biosynthesis and courtship behaviour in D. melanogaster .