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Updated: Feb 7, 2026
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Visualization of the Axonal Projection Pattern of Embryonic Motor Neurons in Drosophila
Published on: June 16, 2017
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Visual Projection Neurons Mediating Directed Courtship in Drosophila
Inês M A Ribeiro1, Michael Drews2, Armin Bahl2
1Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Max Plank Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Institute of Molecular Pathology, Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
Cell
|July 24, 2018
Summary
The LC10 visual neurons in male fruit flies are crucial for courtship. Silencing these neurons impairs orientation and song, while activating them elicits courtship behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Sensory Systems
Background:
- Vision is critical for many animals to detect and track moving objects.
- In Drosophila courtship, males use visual cues for orientation, pursuit, and song initiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of LC10 visual projection neurons in Drosophila male courtship behavior.
- To determine how LC10 neurons process visual information relevant to courtship.
Main Methods:
- Silencing and unilateral activation of LC10 neurons in male Drosophila.
- Behavioral assays to assess orientation, proximity maintenance, and courtship song.
- Electrophysiological recordings to characterize LC10 neuronal responses to motion.
Main Results:
- Silencing LC10 neurons disrupted male orientation, proximity to females, and ipsilateral wing song.
- LC10 neurons exhibit preferential responses to small moving objects via a motion-based center-surround mechanism.
- Unilateral LC10 activation mimicked female-elicited orienting and wing extension, enhanced by courtship arousal.
Conclusions:
- LC10 visual projection neurons are essential for relaying visual information critical for Drosophila courtship.
- These neurons play a key role in integrating visual stimuli with courtship circuits and arousal states.
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