Visual feedback neurons fine-tune Drosophila male courtship via GABA-mediated inhibition.

Many species of animals use vision to regulate their social behaviors. However, the molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying visually guided social interactions remain largely unknown. Here, we show that the Drosophila ortholog of the human GABA-receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) is required in a class of visual feedback neurons, lamina tangential (Lat) cells, to fine-tune male courtship.

GABA-mediated inhibition in visual feedback neurons fine-tunes male courtship.

Vision is critical for the regulation of mating behaviors in many species. Here, we discovered that the ortholog of human GABA -receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) is required to fine-tune male courtship by modulating the activity of visual feedback neurons, lamina tangential cells (Lat). GABARAP is a ubiquitin-like protein that regulates cell-surface levels of GABA receptors.

Convergence of multimodal sensory pathways to the mushroom body calyx in Drosophila melanogaster.

Detailed structural analyses of the mushroom body which plays critical roles in olfactory learning and memory revealed that it is directly connected with multiple primary sensory centers in Drosophila. Connectivity patterns between the mushroom body and primary sensory centers suggest that each mushroom body lobe processes information on different combinations of multiple sensory modalities. This finding provides a novel focus of research by Drosophila genetics for perception of the external world by integrating multisensory signals.