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Figure 4 | BMC Neuroscience

Figure 4

From: A small cohort of FRUM and Engrailed-expressing neurons mediate successful copulation in Drosophila melanogaster

Figure 4

En-fruMRNAi males have abnormal copulation durations. En-fruMRNAi males’ copulation durations vary and often failed to transfer sperm and mating plug material. (A) Scatter plot of individual copulation durations. Mean copulation durations with wild-type females ± SEM are WT, 16.3 ± 0.6 min; En-GAL4/+, 15.7 ± 0.4 min; fruMRNAi/+, 18.3 ± 0.7 min; En-fruMRNAi, 15.2 ± 2.2 min. (B) Individual durations on two consecutive days, each with a fresh wild-type female.  For controls, mean ± SEM duration on day 1 and day 2 was not statistically different between genotypes or days (p = 0.622); WT = 16.2 ± 0.8 min, 15.3 ± 0.8 min; En-GAL4/+ = 17.2 ± 0.7 min, 17.0 ± 0.5 min; fruMRNAi /+ = 16.0 ± 0.6 min, 16.4 ± 0.7 min.  Durations for En-fruMRNAi males were different between day 1 and day 2, 11.0 ± 2.5 min, 4.2 ± 1.6 min; four En-fruMRNAi males did not mate on either day. Regression analysis for Day 1 versus Day 2 durations show that Day 1 duration does not predict Day 2 duration: control genotypes grouped, R2 = 0.006, p = 0.744; En-fruMRNAi males R2 = 0.137, p = 0.193. (C) Sperm and mating plug transfer was assessed in relation to copulation duration. WT (n = 32) and En-fruMRNAi (n = 38) males were used; all males that copulated are shown. Here, 84% of WT males mated with a mean duration of 16.5 ± 0.5 minutes, compared to only 55% of En-fruMRNAi males mated, with a mean duration of 7.5 ± 0.9 minutes. Males that transferred sperm and a mating plug are filled symbols (both genotypes). In the case of En-fruMRNAi males, those that transferred a mating plug, but no sperm are open symbols and those that did not transfer sperm or a mating plug are gray symbols.

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