Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Pages: 2556-2573.e22

Journal: Cell

Volume number: 186

Issue number: 12

ISSN: 0092-8674

eISSN: 1097-4172

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.038

Publisher: Elsevier

Abstract: 

In Drosophila, a dedicated olfactory channel senses a male pheromone, cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), promoting female courtship while repelling males. Here, we show that separate cVA-processing streams extract qualitative and positional information. cVA sensory neurons respond to concentration differences in a 5-mm range around a male. Second-order projection neurons encode the angular position of a male by detecting inter-antennal differences in cVA concentration, which are amplified through contralateral inhibition. At the third circuit layer, we identify 47 cell types with diverse input-output connectivity. One population responds tonically to male flies, a second is tuned to olfactory looming, while a third integrates cVA and taste to coincidentally promote female mating. The separation of olfactory features resembles the mammalian what and where visual streams; together with multisensory integration, this enables behavioral responses appropriate to specific ethological contexts.

Harvard Citation style: Taisz, I., Dona, E., Münch, D., Bailey, S., Morris, B., Meechan, K., et al. (2023) Generating parallel representations of position and identity in the olfactory system, Cell, 186(12), pp. 2556-2573.e22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.038

APA Citation style: Taisz, I., Dona, E., Münch, D., Bailey, S., Morris, B., Meechan, K., Stevens, K., Varela-Martínez, I., Gkantia, M., Schlegel, P., Ribeiro, C., Jefferis, G., & Galili, D. (2023). Generating parallel representations of position and identity in the olfactory system. Cell. 186(12), 2556-2573.e22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.038