Mentor: Dean M. Castillo, Ph.D.

Organisms are constantly being bombarded with information that requires them to respond and make a choice. When faced with an impending decision an organism must process incoming information relying on neural circuits that arose through development, and were shaped by evolution, to induce a specific behavioral response. One of the most consequential decisions that organisms make is whether to mate or not, and if they do mate how to identify appropriate mates. In Drosophila melanogaster, mating decisions involve a series of interactions between potential partners. Females rely on fine-tuned processing of multiple sensory inputs to determine male identity and suitability, resulting in a decision to either repel or accept males. This accept vs repel behavior has been used to identify genes that control female mating including the gene Neuroglian (Nrg). Previous work has demonstrated that Nrg mutant females reject mating and suggested that this occurs through the role that Nrg plays in mushroom body (MB) formation. The mushroom body is a specific region of the brain that integrates and processes information. In this research we demonstrate that Nrg has additional roles outside of MB development that control female mating behavior.

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