争斗是同性社会性动物间的基本社会相互作用之一。寻找对争斗有重要作用的细胞、分析争斗的机理,有助于理解动物的社会性,为适当控制病态争斗、维护和谐提供基础。
北京大学生命科学学院院长、北京生命科学研究所副所长饶毅教授领导的实验室用遗传学、分子生物学和神经生物学跨学科综合途径研究争斗的机理。2008年8月《自然—神经学》(Nature Neuroscience)杂志刊发了周传、饶勇、饶毅的论文“A subset of octopaminergic neurons are important for Drosophila aggression”,报道了该实验室在动物社会行为研究方面的发现。
周传等用遗传学的模式动物果蝇研究争斗的分子和细胞机理。他们发现,一种称为鱆胺的神经递质分子,对争斗很重要。神经递质是神经细胞之间、神经细胞和其他靶细胞之间的信号分子,一个神经细胞通过神经递质将信号传到下一个细胞。当动物不能合成鱆胺的时候,争斗降低,而走、嗅觉、求偶等其他行为不变。当用实验方法巧妙地使合成鱆胺的神经细胞不能活动时,争斗也很快下降;而在激活产生鱆胺的神经细胞时,争斗上升。这些结果表明争斗需要鱆胺,揭示了争斗的分子机理。他们还发现,在特定部位,有五个产生鱆胺的神经细胞对争斗很重要,只要这五个细胞能产生鱆胺,其他细胞没有鱆胺也不影响争斗,揭示了争斗的细胞机理。
饶毅实验室从2004年开始在北京用果蝇和老鼠研究动物的几种社会行为。这篇论文是他们研究的一部分。该项研究获得科技部和北京市科委资助。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推荐原始出处:
Nature Neuroscience,doi:10.1038/nn.2164,Chuan Zhou,Yi Rao
A subset of octopaminergic neurons are important for Drosophila aggression
Chuan Zhou1,2, Yong Rao1 & Yi Rao1,3
Abstract
Aggression is an innate behavior that is important for animal survival and evolution. We examined the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying aggression in Drosophila. Reduction of the neurotransmitter octopamine, the insect equivalent of norepinephrine, decreased aggression in both males and females. Mutants lacking octopamine did not initiate fighting and did not fight other flies, although they still provoked other flies to fight themselves. Mutant males lost to the wild-type males in fighting and in competing for copulation with females. Enhanced octopaminergic signaling increased aggression in socially grouped flies, but not in socially isolated flies. We carried out genetic rescue experiments that revealed the functional importance of neuronal octopamine and identified a small subset of octopaminergic neurons in the suboesophageal ganglion as being important for aggression.
National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 7 Zhongguanchun Life Sciences Park, Beijing 102206, China.
Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Rd., Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.
School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Rd., Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China.