Protiivny pheromone

Biologists have found a pheromone of sexual promiscuity<url>
The absence of a certain pheromone on the covers of flies turns them into an object of sexual desire for representatives of both sexes and even for insects of another species.

The article by the authors of this study (Specialized cells tag sexual and species identity in Drosophila melanogaster) is published in the journal Nature. The work is briefly presented on the Nature News portal (Chemical keeps male sex drive in check).

Until now, it was believed that the attractiveness of flies as an object for copulation is determined by pheromones, which are produced by cells called enocytes. In addition, there was a hypothesis that, thanks to pheromones, flies can identify representatives of other species that look practically no different.

The authors of the new work decided to check what function pheromones perform in Drosophila melanogaster. To do this, the researchers created genetically modified flies whose enocytes did not produce pheromones in adult flies.

It turned out that flies whose integuments lacked pheromones were more attractive to potential sexual partners. Moreover, representatives of both sexes tried to mate with them. In addition, D. melanogaster, devoid of surface pheromones, became attractive to flies of other species.

In the course of their work, the scientists also managed to find out which pheromone is necessary in order to prevent sexual contacts between two males. When the 7-T substance was applied to the integuments of genetically modified males, they ceased to be sexually attractive to other males. At the same time, one of the female pheromones, which was believed to attract males, did not increase the attractiveness of females compared to females deprived of all pheromones.

Scientists suggest that some of the female pheromones, on the contrary, slightly restrain the impulses of males to give females time to assess how good they are.

Pheromones are extremely important in the life of flies and regulate not only sexual behavior. However, last year a group of researchers managed to show that flies are able to control the production of pheromones depending on the environment. In other words, insects have the beginnings of social behavior.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru15.10.2009