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Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Yang, C-H; Belawat, P; Hafen, E; Jan, LY; Jan, Y-N
Published in: Science
March 21, 2008

The ability to select a better option from multiple acceptable ones is important for animals to optimize their resources. The mechanisms that underlie such decision-making processes are not well understood. We found that selection of egg-laying site in Drosophila melanogaster is a suitable system to probe the neural circuit that governs simple decision-making processes. First, Drosophila females pursue active probing of the environment before depositing each egg, apparently to evaluate site quality for every egg. Second, Drosophila females can either accept or reject a sucrose-containing medium, depending on the context. Last, communication of the "acceptability" of the sucrose-containing medium as an egg-laying option to the reproductive system depends on the function of a group of insulin-like peptide 7 (ILP7)-producing neurons. These findings suggest that selection of egg-laying site involves a simple decision-making process and provide an entry point toward a systematic dissection of this process.

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Published In

Science

DOI

EISSN

1095-9203

Publication Date

March 21, 2008

Volume

319

Issue

5870

Start / End Page

1679 / 1683

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Oviposition
  • Neuropeptides
  • Neurons
  • Models, Animal
  • General Science & Technology
  • Female
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Decision Making
  • Behavior, Animal
 

Citation

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Yang, C.-H., Belawat, P., Hafen, E., Jan, L. Y., & Jan, Y.-N. (2008). Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes. Science, 319(5870), 1679–1683. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151842
Yang, Chung-Hui, Priyanka Belawat, Ernst Hafen, Lily Y. Jan, and Yuh-Nung Jan. “Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes.Science 319, no. 5870 (March 21, 2008): 1679–83. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1151842.
Yang C-H, Belawat P, Hafen E, Jan LY, Jan Y-N. Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes. Science. 2008 Mar 21;319(5870):1679–83.
Yang, Chung-Hui, et al. “Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes.Science, vol. 319, no. 5870, Mar. 2008, pp. 1679–83. Pubmed, doi:10.1126/science.1151842.
Yang C-H, Belawat P, Hafen E, Jan LY, Jan Y-N. Drosophila egg-laying site selection as a system to study simple decision-making processes. Science. 2008 Mar 21;319(5870):1679–1683.
Journal cover image

Published In

Science

DOI

EISSN

1095-9203

Publication Date

March 21, 2008

Volume

319

Issue

5870

Start / End Page

1679 / 1683

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Oviposition
  • Neuropeptides
  • Neurons
  • Models, Animal
  • General Science & Technology
  • Female
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Decision Making
  • Behavior, Animal