Gut microbiome modulates Drosophila aggression through octopamine signaling

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 2698
• Main Authors: Jia, Yicong, Jin, Shan, Hu, Kunkun, Geng, Lei, Han, Caihong, Kang, Ruxue, Pang, Yuxin, Ling, Erjun, Tan, Eng King, Pan, Yufeng, Liu, Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.05.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 14/1; 14/19; 38/77; 631/326/2565/2134; 631/378/3919; 64/24; 82/51; Aggression; Aggressive behavior; Aggressiveness; Animal models; Behavior; Colonization; Courtship; Depletion; Diet; Digestive system; Drosophila; Fruit flies; Germfree; Humanities and Social Sciences; Insects; Intestinal microflora; Males; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microorganisms; multidisciplinary; Octopamine; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23041-y

Gut microbiome profoundly affects many aspects of host physiology and behaviors. Here we report that gut microbiome modulates aggressive behaviors in Drosophila . We found that germ-free males showed substantial decrease in inter-male aggression, which could be rescued by microbial re-colonization. These germ-free males are not as competitive as wild-type males for mating with females, although they displayed regular levels of locomotor and courtship behaviors. We further found that Drosophila microbiome interacted with diet during a critical developmental period for the proper expression of octopamine and manifestation of aggression in adult males. These findings provide insights into how gut microbiome modulates specific host behaviors through interaction with diet during development. The gut microbiome regulates behaviour in a number of species. Here the authors show that depletion of the gut microbiome in Drosophila reduced aggressive behaviour, in an octopamine-dependent manner.