Abstract
The male fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) expresses small molecules called pheromones that regulate a variety of behaviors, including courtship and aggressive behavior. One of the pheromones that modulate aggression is the male-specific 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA). cVA is synthesized from fatty acid precursor in the ejaculatory bulb in Drosophila males. It has previously been reported that a Cytochrome P450 family member, Cyp6a20, may affect cVA levels, presumably via pheromone degradation. In support of this hypothesis is the observation that flies with an insertion of a piggyBac transposable element in the Cyp6a20 locus show hyper-aggressive behavior. Here, we further explore this hypothesis by reducing Cyp6a20 levels specifically at the site of their production in the male ejaculatory bulb. We use the binary GAL4/UAS system to express RNAi construct against Cyp6a20 in the male ejaculatory bulb to achieve Cyp6a20 knockdown (KD). KD flies will then be evaluated for aggression and mating behavior, as well as motility phenotypes. Moreover, we will measure pheromone levels in Cypa20 KD flies. Together, these data will provide insight into the molecular function of Cyp6a20 and establish whether Cyp6a20 is involved in pheromone degradation.