Neuropeptide relay between SIFa signaling controls the experience-dependent mating duration of male Drosophila

Summary Drosophila melanogaster is a suitable model for investigating how neuropeptides influence animal behaviours and physiology. We previously reported that two behavioural paradigms control mating duration of male Drosophila , called Longer-Mating-Duration (LMD) and Shorter-Mating-Duration (SMD) that are induced through socio-sexual environment prior to copulation. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which males exhibit plasticity to different social cues remains poorly understood. Here, we show that SIFa modulates the neural circuitry for both LMD and SMD. Neuropeptide-to-neuropeptide communication, so called ‘neuropeptide relay’ plays a key role to mediate this control. We identified that 7 neuropeptides expressed in SIFa Receptor-positive cells are functionally important to regulate either LMD and/or SMD. The modulation of two independent mating duration behaviour by the different SIFa-mediated neuropeptide relay will help to further investigate how the neuropeptidergic modulation can control complex behaviours.