Weinrich Anja, Kunst Michael, Wirmer Andrea, Holstein Gay R, Heinrich Ralf
Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Göttingen, Berliner Strasse 28, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2008 Aug;194(8):763-76. doi: 10.1007/s00359-008-0347-x. Epub 2008 Jun 24.
The central complex of acridid grasshoppers integrates sensory information pertinent to reproduction-related acoustic communication. Activation of nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic GMP-signaling by injection of NO donors into the central complex of restrained Chorthippus biguttulus females suppresses muscarine-stimulated sound production. In contrast, sound production is released by aminoguanidine (AG)-mediated inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the central body, suggesting a basal release of NO that suppresses singing in this situation. Using anti-citrulline immunocytochemistry to detect recent NO production, subtypes of columnar neurons with somata located in the pars intercerebralis and tangential neurons with somata in the ventro-median protocerebrum were distinctly labeled. Their arborizations in the central body upper division overlap with expression patterns for NOS and with the site of injection where NO donors suppress sound production. Systemic application of AG increases the responsiveness of unrestrained females to male calling songs. Identical treatment with the NOS inhibitor that increased male song-stimulated sound production in females induced a marked reduction of citrulline accumulation in central complex columnar and tangential neurons. We conclude that behavioral situations that are unfavorable for sound production (like being restrained) activate NOS-expressing central body neurons to release NO and elevate the behavioral threshold for sound production in female grasshoppers.
蝗科蝗虫的中央复合体整合与繁殖相关的声学通讯有关的感觉信息。通过向被束缚的双斑草螽雌性蝗虫的中央复合体注射一氧化氮（NO）供体来激活NO/环鸟苷酸信号传导，会抑制毒蕈碱刺激的发声。相反，氨基胍（AG）介导的对中央体中一氧化氮合酶（NOS）的抑制会释放发声，这表明在这种情况下存在基础水平的NO释放，它会抑制鸣叫。使用抗瓜氨酸免疫细胞化学来检测近期产生的NO，位于脑间部的柱状神经元亚型和位于腹侧中脑前脑的切向神经元被明显标记。它们在中央体上部分支与NOS的表达模式以及NO供体抑制发声的注射部位重叠。全身应用AG会增加未受束缚的雌性对雄性求偶鸣叫的反应性。用NOS抑制剂进行相同处理可增加雌性对雄性鸣叫刺激产生的发声，但会导致中央复合体柱状和切向神经元中瓜氨酸积累明显减少。我们得出结论，不利于发声的行为状态（如被束缚）会激活表达NOS的中央体神经元释放NO，并提高雌性蝗虫发声的行为阈值。
