Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata
Abstract Background Pheromones play a key role in regulating sexual behavior throughout the animal kingdom. In Drosophila and other insects, many cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are sexually dimorphic, and some are known to perform pheromonal functions. However, the genetic control of sex-specific CHC...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Yige Luo Ayumi Takau Jiaxun Li Tiezheng Fan Ben R. Hopkins Yvonne Le Santiago R. Ramirez Takashi Matsuo Artyom Kopp |
| author_facet | Yige Luo Ayumi Takau Jiaxun Li Tiezheng Fan Ben R. Hopkins Yvonne Le Santiago R. Ramirez Takashi Matsuo Artyom Kopp |
| author_sort | Yige Luo |
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| description | Abstract Background Pheromones play a key role in regulating sexual behavior throughout the animal kingdom. In Drosophila and other insects, many cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are sexually dimorphic, and some are known to perform pheromonal functions. However, the genetic control of sex-specific CHC production is poorly understood outside of the model species D. melanogaster. A recent evolutionary change is found in D. prolongata, which, compared to its closest relatives, shows greatly increased sexual dimorphism in both CHCs and the chemosensory system responsible for their perception. A key transition involves a male-specific increase in the proportion of long-chain CHCs. Results Perfuming D. prolongata females with the male-biased long-chain CHCs reduces copulation success, suggesting that these compounds function as sex pheromones. The evolutionary change in CHC profiles correlates with a male-specific increase in the expression of multiple genes involved in CHC biosynthesis, including fatty acid elongases, reductases and other key enzymes. In particular, elongase F, which is responsible for producing female-specific pheromones in D. melanogaster, is strongly upregulated in D. prolongata males compared both to females and to males of the sibling species. Mutations in eloF reduce the amount of long-chain CHCs, resulting in a partial feminization of pheromone profiles in D. prolongata males. Transgenic experiments show that sex-biased expression of eloF is caused in part by a putative transposable element honghaier insertion in its regulatory region. Conclusions These results show that cis-regulatory changes in the eloF gene, along with other changes in the CHC synthesis pathway, contribute to the evolution of sexual communication. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | BMC Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-d265ab0a497643788ef47cbc8dd44e6a2025-08-20T01:47:30ZengBMCBMC Biology1741-70072025-04-0123113410.1186/s12915-025-02220-zRegulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongataYige Luo0Ayumi Takau1Jiaxun Li2Tiezheng Fan3Ben R. Hopkins4Yvonne Le5Santiago R. Ramirez6Takashi Matsuo7Artyom Kopp8Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, The University of TokyoDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, The University of TokyoDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of CaliforniaAbstract Background Pheromones play a key role in regulating sexual behavior throughout the animal kingdom. In Drosophila and other insects, many cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are sexually dimorphic, and some are known to perform pheromonal functions. However, the genetic control of sex-specific CHC production is poorly understood outside of the model species D. melanogaster. A recent evolutionary change is found in D. prolongata, which, compared to its closest relatives, shows greatly increased sexual dimorphism in both CHCs and the chemosensory system responsible for their perception. A key transition involves a male-specific increase in the proportion of long-chain CHCs. Results Perfuming D. prolongata females with the male-biased long-chain CHCs reduces copulation success, suggesting that these compounds function as sex pheromones. The evolutionary change in CHC profiles correlates with a male-specific increase in the expression of multiple genes involved in CHC biosynthesis, including fatty acid elongases, reductases and other key enzymes. In particular, elongase F, which is responsible for producing female-specific pheromones in D. melanogaster, is strongly upregulated in D. prolongata males compared both to females and to males of the sibling species. Mutations in eloF reduce the amount of long-chain CHCs, resulting in a partial feminization of pheromone profiles in D. prolongata males. Transgenic experiments show that sex-biased expression of eloF is caused in part by a putative transposable element honghaier insertion in its regulatory region. Conclusions These results show that cis-regulatory changes in the eloF gene, along with other changes in the CHC synthesis pathway, contribute to the evolution of sexual communication.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02220-zDrosophilaPheromonesCuticular hydrocarbonsMating behaviorSexual communicationFatty acid elongase |
| spellingShingle | Yige Luo Ayumi Takau Jiaxun Li Tiezheng Fan Ben R. Hopkins Yvonne Le Santiago R. Ramirez Takashi Matsuo Artyom Kopp Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata BMC Biology Drosophila Pheromones Cuticular hydrocarbons Mating behavior Sexual communication Fatty acid elongase |
| title | Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata |
| title_full | Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata |
| title_fullStr | Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata |
| title_full_unstemmed | Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata |
| title_short | Regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase eloF underlie the evolution of sex-specific pheromone profiles in Drosophila prolongata |
| title_sort | regulatory changes in the fatty acid elongase elof underlie the evolution of sex specific pheromone profiles in drosophila prolongata |
| topic | Drosophila Pheromones Cuticular hydrocarbons Mating behavior Sexual communication Fatty acid elongase |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02220-z |
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