Sex peptide-SPR-serotonin signaling regulates mating-induced Sex peptide replenishment in Drosophila, suggesting an ancestral role in males
- 1University of Tsukuba
Abstract
Seminal fluid not only assists successful fertilization but also induces changes in female post-mating behavior and physiology. Consequently, males with depleted or inadequate seminal fluid produce fewer offspring. Males of iteroparous species therefore increase seminal fluid production to replenish exhausted supplies. However, it remains unclear how mating-induced replenishment of seminal fluid components is regulated at the molecular and cellular levels. Here, we show that replenishment of Sex peptide (SP) in male Drosophila melanogaster requires both SP and its receptor SPR. Mechanistically, mating-induced SP replenishment in the male accessory gland (MAG) is regulated by MAG-projecting serotonergic neurons, and this regulation depends on SPR, which is likely activated by SP as it passes through the reproductive tract during mating. This inter-tissue signaling pathway is not limited to SP but also coordinates the post-mating upregulation of an additional seminal fluid protein gene. While SP-SPR signaling is a well-known regulator of female post-mating responses, we demonstrate that it also modulates male physiology. Furthermore, comparative analyses across 12 drosophilid species are consistent with the hypothesis that SP-SPR signaling acquired a role in males before its role in canonical female post-mating responses evolved. We therefore propose that the role of SP-SPR signaling as a mating signal in males is ancestral to its more familiar but evolutionarily derived role in females.
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BibTeX
@misc{hoshino2026peptidesprserotonin,
title = {{Sex peptide-SPR-serotonin signaling regulates mating-induced Sex peptide replenishment in Drosophila, suggesting an ancestral role in males}},
author = {R. Hoshino and Y. Kozono and R. Tanaka and H.-K. Lin and T. Ameku and T. Tei and T. Asano and A. Kamikouchi and Y. Shimada-Niwa and A. Nakamura and T. Awasaki and R. Niwa},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.19.760009},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.760009v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Sex peptide-SPR-serotonin signaling regulates mating-induced Sex peptide replenishment in Drosophila, suggesting an ancestral role in males
AU - R. Hoshino
AU - Y. Kozono
AU - R. Tanaka
AU - H.-K. Lin
AU - T. Ameku
AU - T. Tei
AU - T. Asano
AU - A. Kamikouchi
AU - Y. Shimada-Niwa
AU - A. Nakamura
AU - T. Awasaki
AU - R. Niwa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.19.760009
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.760009v1
AB - Seminal fluid not only assists successful fertilization but also induces changes in female post-mating behavior and physiology. Consequently, males with depleted or inadequate seminal fluid produce fewer offspring. Males of iteroparous species therefore increase seminal fluid production to replenish exhausted supplies. However, it remains unclear how mating-induced replenishment of seminal fluid components is regulated at the molecular and cellular levels. Here, we show that replenishment of Sex peptide (SP) in male Drosophila melanogaster requires both SP and its receptor SPR. Mechanistically, mating-induced SP replenishment in the male accessory gland (MAG) is regulated by MAG-projecting serotonergic neurons, and this regulation depends on SPR, which is likely activated by SP as it passes through the reproductive tract during mating. This inter-tissue signaling pathway is not limited to SP but also coordinates the post-mating upregulation of an additional seminal fluid protein gene. While SP-SPR signaling is a well-known regulator of female post-mating responses, we demonstrate that it also modulates male physiology. Furthermore, comparative analyses across 12 drosophilid species are consistent with the hypothesis that SP-SPR signaling acquired a role in males before its role in canonical female post-mating responses evolved. We therefore propose that the role of SP-SPR signaling as a mating signal in males is ancestral to its more familiar but evolutionarily derived role in females.
ER -