Mj. Weissburg et al., Transsexual limb transplants in fiddler crabs and expression of novel sensory capabilities, J COMP NEUR, 440(4), 2001, pp. 311-320
We used transsexual limb transplants in fiddler crabs to examine how periph
eral sensory structures interact with the central nervous system (CNS) to p
roduce a sexually dimorphic behavior. Female and male chemosensory feeding
claws were transplanted onto male hosts in place of nonfeeding, nonchemosen
sory claws. Successfully transplanted claws retain donor morphologies and c
ontain chemosensory neurons. Neurons in successfully transplanted female fe
eding claws express the enhanced sensitivity to chemical cues seen in femal
e, but not male, neurons in claws of normal animals. When chemically stimul
ated, the transplanted claws evoke feeding behavior not observed in normal
males, even though the sensory neurons in the transplanted limb project to
the host's sexually dimorphic neuropil not known to receive chemosensory in
put. Behavioral sensitivity is directly related to the sensitivity of perip
heral neurons in the transplanted feeding claw. Thus, the interactions betw
een peripheral neurons and their targets may restructure the CNS so that no
vel sensory capabilities are expressed, and this can produce sexually dimor
phic behaviors. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.