TOKENS OF LOVE - FUNCTIONS AND REGULATION OF DROSOPHILA MALE ACCESSORY-GLAND PRODUCTS

A male fruit fly influences the behavior and physiology of his mate vi a molecules that he transmits to her in his semen, The mated female fl y has an elevated rate of egg laying, a decreased receptivity to matin g and a shorter life span; she also stores sperm from the mating, Mole cular genetic analyses possible in this insect model system permit the dissection of seminal fluid components that cause these mating respon ses in the female, Studies with transgenic and mutant flies have shown that products of the male's accessory gland cause short-term changes in the female's behavior and physiology; persistence of these changes requires the storage of sperm, Further dissection of accessory gland f unction has defined several molecules that cause these effects, A ''se x peptide'' and a prohormone-like molecule (Accessory gland protein 26 Aa) stimulate the female's egg-laying rate; the sex peptide also depre sses her receptivity to mating, A large glycoprotein (Acp36DE) appears to function in ''corralling'' sperm for storage, Studies of accessory gland products and the regulation of the genes that encode them will be important in understanding insect reproduction, behavior, and speci ation and ultimately in designing ways to control the impressive ferti lity of unwanted insects, These studies also provide excellent models to address basic questions in cell biology such as the control of gene s in response to sex-specific, mating-regulated and cell type-specific cues and the function and targeting of peptide hormones. (C) 1997 Els evier Science Ltd.