An RNAi screening for genes involved in female mate choice in Drosophila melanogaster. Youngmin Chu, Rui Sousa Neves. Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH.

   The purpose of this study is to identify genes that are involved in female mating choice. To that end we selected three closely related species of Drosophila (D. melanogaster, D. simulans, and D.sechellia) that prefer different types of males. We then made pair-wise comparisons of each gene in the genome to isolate those that diverge the most in all three species. We then systematically knocked down the expression of these genes by RNAi in D. melanogaster using an ubiquitous Gal4 driver. The adult female flies expressing RNAi were tested for their ability to accept wild type D.melanogaster males by video analyses. From this screening, we tested 35 of such lines and identified 7 genes that significantly reduce mating. In a second phase, we asked whether these genes act in the central nervous system or in other body parts. Here we will present the results of these experiments.