Study Identifies De-escalation Gene in Fruit Flies

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Salk scientists discovered a gene and group of cells that prevent escalated aggression in the brains of fruit flies. Credit: Salk Institute

Key Points:

  • Scientists discovered a protein coding gene, called nervy, that helps fruit flies decide when to stop engaging in aggressive behaviors.
  • Nervy allows a fruit fly’s nervous system to become aware of environmental clues that signal it to stop fighting.
  • The scientists hope their findings lead to an understanding of how a de-escalation of aggressive behaviors occurs in humans.

A team of scientists at the Salk Institute has isolated a gene in fruit flies that helps the animals determine when to stop fighting each other. The researchers say the same mechanism could be at play in humans—at least at the molecular level—which would better explain a host of psychiatric diseases.

The study, which was published in Science Advances, examined the aggressiveness of two different populations of fruit flies. One group was genetically normal, and the second group was missing specific genes of interest. Male fruit flies that lacked nervy—a protein coding gene—were observed to lunge at other fruit flies far more frequently.

“The function of nervy is to set up the nervous system in such a way that animals are ready to stop fighting when the right signal comes in,” said first author Kenichi Ishii.

The flies that lacked nervy weren’t initiating more aggressive interactions by chasing other flies. They were simply more likely to choose to fight over the course of a normal encounter.

The scientists also employed single-cell sequencing and discovered genes downstream from nervy that are involved in developing the de-escalation mechanism.

"Although flies are very different animals than humans, some of these mechanisms may be similar in both species,” said Kenta Asahina, an assistant professor at Salk. “Uncovering the molecular basis of aggression may lead to a better understanding of how aggression is involved in certain types of psychiatric disorders.”

For the next step, the researchers hope to precisely identify the group of neurons responsible for suppressing aggressive behavior. They also want to figure out at what stage of development the nervy gene is important for shaping the nervous system.

 

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