UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
March 2010
Frisky Fruit Flies Could Help Fight Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

By Rolando Garcia
Natural Sciences and Mathematics

New insights into the courtship behavior of fruit flies discovered by a University of Houston biologist could lead to more effective controls on mosquito populations.

In research published in the February issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Brigitte Dauwalder, an assistant professor of biology at UH, reveals how a gene regulated by the circadian clock affects fly mating.

But the implications of Dauwalder’s research extend far beyond insect libido – she and other UH biologists are at the forefront of a scientific endeavor to understand the links between genetic and animal behavior.

Dauwalder found that manipulating a gene known as ‘takeout’ that is found in a fruit fly’s fat body – which is similar to liver tissue – has a significant impact on courtship behavior. Male flies with this gene turned off court much less. And male flies with a fat body that could no longer make male proteins exhibited a two-thirds drop in courtship behavior, as measured by their pursuit (or lack thereof) of female fruit flies.

Because fruit flies are a model system and very similar to mosquitoes, this research may also shed new light on mosquito mating. More than two million die annually from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, and controlling mosquito populations is a major health concern.

Better understanding the genetic factors behind mating could help control mosquito populations without chemicals – a sort of biological pest control, Dauwalder said.

These findings – the result of a National Science Foundation grant – could also open another door of scientific possibility. Further research is needed to understand exactly how proteins from a fly’s fat body travel to the brain, negotiate the brain barrier and regulate behavior.

Of particular interest will be how the proteins penetrate the fly’s brain barrier. Humans have a similar blood-brain barrier that blocks certain substances in the bloodstream from entering the brain. Although it provides protection from bacteria, it can also hinder the delivery of drugs to treat brain disorders.

More broadly, understanding animal behavior at the most basic molecular level is one of the new frontiers of biology.  Dauwalder is among a cluster of scientists within UH’s Department of Biology and Biochemistry and in UH’s Biology of Behavior Group studying the links between genetics and behavior.

Behavior – such as memory formation, foraging and courtship – is the final observable result of countless millions of interactions. To understand how it all works, molecular geneticists work together with ethologists and neuroscientists to understand behavior, from the subtlest sensory inputs at the molecular level to the big-picture analysis of how that behavior functions among species.
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