How male flies learn to deal with rejection

The process by which male fruit flies learn to focus their courtship away from females that have already mated and towards eligible partners is deciphered in Nature this week. It seems that the mantra is simple: be promiscuous at first, but become more selective if a mating attempt fails.

This press release contains:

· Summaries of newsworthy papers:

Geoscience: Sub-glacial shake-up

Nature: How male flies learn to deal with rejection

· Geographical listing of authors

[1] Geoscience: Sub-glacial shake-up

DOI 10.1038/ngeo1555

Thousands of earthquakes occurred in rapid succession under an Antarctic glacier over a nine month period between 2002 and 2003, reports a study published online in Nature Geoscience this week. The findings suggest that tidal motion can influence sub-glacial seismicity.

Lucas Zoet and colleagues analysed seismic activity under a large glacier in East Antarctica that drains into the Ross Sea, using data collected between 2002 and 2003. They identified about 20,000 seismic events during this period, which occurred at regular intervals about 25 minutes apart. The magnitude of the shaking was large, compared to typical subglacial quakes.

The researchers suggest that the movement of the glacier over a rough patch of rock generated the significant sub-glacial shaking. They attribute the regularity of these events to the modulation of glacier movement by ocean tides.

Author contact:

Lucas Zoet (Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA)

Tel: +1 616 745 4698; E-mail: [email protected]

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[2] Nature: How male flies learn to deal with rejection

DOI: 10.1038/nature11345

The process by which male fruit flies learn to focus their courtship away from females that have already mated and towards eligible partners is deciphered in Nature this week. It seems that the mantra is simple: be promiscuous at first, but become more selective if a mating attempt fails. This trial-and-error approach allows the flies to develop responses to signals associated with rejection, enabling them to adjust their mating strategy according to experience.

Naive male Drosophila melanogaster court both virgin and mated females despite the latter being somewhat unreceptive to courtship. The males soon learn to avoid futile courting efforts by responding to the male pheromone cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) that is transferred onto the female after mating. Barry Dickson and colleagues show that this learning results from an increase in the males' sensitivity to cVA after unsuccessful courtship, and is controlled by a small circuit of dopaminergic neurons. They propose that when a mating attempt fails, the neurons produce a learning signal that induces changes in the way in which the cVA signal is processed.

These findings shed light on critical behavioural, cellular and molecular components of the mechanism by which Drosophila adjusts its innate mating strategy according to experience.

Author contact:

Barry Dickson (The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria)
Tel: +43 1 797 30 3000; E-mail: [email protected]

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Nature

[3] Endogenous antigen tunes the responsiveness of naive B cells but not T cells

DOI: 10.1038/nature11311

[4] Early-stage epigenetic modification during somatic cell reprogramming by Parp1 and Tet2

DOI: 10.1038/nature11333

[5] Rapid induction of inflammatory lipid mediators by the inflammasome in vivo

DOI: 10.1038/nature11351

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NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY

[6] Multiplexed mass cytometry profiling of cellular states perturbed by small-molecule regulators

DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2317

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NATURE CELL BIOLOGY

[7] Membrane bending by protein–protein crowding
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2561

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NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY

[8] A quantitative assay for assessing the effects of DNA lesions on transcription

DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1046

[9] Cyclization of fungal nonribosomal peptides by a terminal condensation-like domain

DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.1047

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NATURE CHEMISTRY

[10] Visualization of hierarchically structured zeolite bodies from macro to nano length scales
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1403

[11] A quantitative model for the transcription of 2D patterns into functional 3D architectures
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1429

[12] Ab initio carbon capture in open-site metal–organic frameworks

DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1432

[13] The energy barrier in singlet fission can be overcome through coherent coupling and entropic gain

DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1436

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NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE

[14] The need for new ocean conservation strategies in a high-carbon dioxide world

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1555

[15] Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1661

[16] Climate-driven changes in northeastern US butterfly communities

DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1663

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NATURE GENETICS

[17] A mixed-model approach for genome-wide association studies of correlated traits in structured populations

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2376

[18] Evidence of widespread selection on standing variation in Europe at height-associated SNPs

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2368

[19] Mouse ooplasm confers context-specific reprogramming capacity

DOI: 10.1038/ng.2382

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NATURE GEOSCIENCE

[20] Coseismic fault rupture at the trench axis during the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake

DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1547

[21] Lower crustal crystallization and melt evolution at mid-ocean ridges

DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1552

[22] Mantle flow deflected by interactions between subducted slabs and cratonic keels

DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1553

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NATURE IMMUNOLOGY

[23] Molecular definition of the identity and activation of natural killer cells

DOI: 10.1038/ni.2395

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NATURE MATERIALS

[24] Probing oxygen vacancy concentration and homogeneity in solid-oxide fuel-cell cathode materials on the subunit-cell level
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3393

[25] Deep-subwavelength imaging of the modal dispersion of light
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3402

[26] Quantum many-body interactions in digital oxide superlattices
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3405

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Nature MEDICINE

[27] On silico peptide microarrays for high-resolution mapping of antibody epitopes and diverse protein-protein interactions

DOI: 10.1038/nm.2913

[28] A PML-PPARg pathway for fatty acid oxidation regulates hematopoietic stem cell maintenance

DOI: 10.1038/nm.2882

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NATURE METHODS

[29] Autonomous screening of C. elegans identifies genes implicated in synaptogenesis

DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2141

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NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY

[30] Catalytic processes monitored at the nanoscale with tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.131

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Nature NEUROSCIENCE

[31] Trans-mesenteric neural crest cells are the principal source of the colonic enteric nervous system

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3184

[32] K-ATP channels in dopamine substantia nigra neurons control bursting and novelty-induced exploration

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3185

[33] Transient stimulation of distinct subpopulations of striatal neurons mimics changes in action value

DOI: 10.1038/nn.3188

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NATURE PHOTONICS

[34] Realization of quantum Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment

DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.179

[35] Enhanced power-conversion efficiency in polymer solar cells using an inverted device structure

DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.190

[36] FRET-assisted laser emission in colloidal suspensions of dye-doped latex nanoparticles

DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.201

[37] Wafer-scale integration of group III–V lasers on silicon using transfer printing of epitaxial layers

DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.204

[38] Observation of one-way Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen steering

DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.202

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Nature PHYSICS

[39] Dirac-fermion-mediated ferromagnetism in a topological insulator

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2388

[40] Breakdown of continuum mechanics for nanometre-wavelength rippling of graphene

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2389

[41] Computing prime factors with a Josephson phase qubit quantum processor

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2385

[42] Dynamics of relativistic transparency and optical shuttering in expanding overdense plasmas

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2390

[43] Electric-field-induced generation and reversal of ferromagnetic moment in ferrites

DOI: 10.1038/nphys2405

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Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

[44] Allosteric control of the ribosome by small-molecule antibiotics

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2360

[45] Nectin ectodomain structures reveal a canonical adhesive interface

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2366

[46] Allosteric competitive inactivation of hematopoietic CSF-1 signaling by the viral decoy receptor BARF1

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2367

[47] BIRC7-E2 ubiquitin conjugate structure reveals the mechanism of ubiquitin transfer by a RING dimer

DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2379

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GEOGRAPHICAL LISTING OF AUTHORS

The following list of places refers to the whereabouts of authors on the papers numbered in this release. The listing may be for an author's main affiliation, or for a place where they are working temporarily. Please see the PDF of the paper for full details.

AUSTRALIA

Melbourne: 31

Parkville: 31

Queensland: 14

AUSTRIA
Vienna: 2, 17

BELGIUM

Ghent: 46

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Sarajevo: 2

CHINA

Guangzhou: 35

Hefei: 34

FRANCE

Grenoble: 46

Orleans: 17

GERMANY

Frankfurt: 32

Garching: 42

Hamburg: 46

Hannover: 38

Jena: 30

Ulm: 32

HUNGARY

Budapest: 40

IRELAND
Cork: 37
Londonderry: 37

JAPAN

Hyogo: 43

Kobe: 31, 32

Kyoto: 31

Tokyo: 28, 31, 39, 43

Wako: 39, 43

Yokohama: 20

Yokosuka: 20

KOREA

Daejeon: 24, 40

NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam: 5, 25

Eindhoven: 30

Utrecht: 30

SPAIN

Barcelona: 25

Bilbao: 36

Bizkaia: 28

Madrid: 36

SWITZERLAND

Geneva: 11

Zurich: 6, 10

UNITED KINGDOM

Belfast: 42

Edinburgh: 29

London: 25

Oxford: 2, 32

Southampton: 15

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

California

Berkeley: 5, 7, 12, 33, 44

Emeryville: 33

La Jolla: 23, 28

Livermore: 7, 14

Los Angeles: 9, 17, 22

Riverside: 8

San Francisco: 2, 3, 23, 33

Santa Barbara: 41

Santa Clara: 27

Santa Cruz: 14

Stanford: 6, 23, 27, 29

Georgia

Atlanta: 29

Hawaii

Honolulu: 14

Illinois

Chicago: 45

Indiana

Notre Dame: 28

Maryland

Baltimore: 33

Bethesda: 5, 32

Rockville: 8

Massachusetts

Boston: 9, 18, 23, 28, 45

Cambridge: 16, 18, 19

Petersham: 16

Woods Hole: 21

Minnesota

Minneapolis: 12, 27, 40

Missouri

Columbia: 5

St Louis: 1

New Hampshire

Durham: 37

New Mexico

Los Alamos: 42

New York

Bronx: 28

Ithaca: 26

New York: 4, 19, 23, 44, 45

Stony Brook: 4

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: 23

Pittsburgh: 8

University Park: 1

Tennessee

Nashville: 24

Oak Ridge: 24

Texas

Austin: 7

Galveston: 7

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PRESS CONTACTS:

For media inquiries relating to embargo policy for all the Nature Research Journals:

Rachel Twinn (Nature London)

Tel: +44 20 7843 4658; E-mail: [email protected]

Neda Afsarmanesh (Nature New York)

Tel: +1 212 726 9231; E-mail: [email protected]

Eiji Matsuda (Nature Tokyo)

Tel: +81 3 3267 8751; E-mail: [email protected]

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For media inquiries relating to editorial content/policy for the Nature Research Journals, please contact the journals individually:

Nature Biotechnology (New York)

Michael Francisco

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Nature Cell Biology (London)

Sowmya Swaminathan

Tel: +44 20 7843 4656; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)

Kim Tolleson

Tel: +1 617 475 9241, E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Chemistry (London)

Stuart Cantrill

Tel: +44 20 7014 4018; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Climate Change (London)

Rory Howlett

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Nature Genetics (New York)

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Tel: +1 212 726 9324; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Geoscience (London)

Heike Langenberg

Tel: +44 20 7843 4042; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Immunology (New York)

Laurie Dempsey

Tel: +1 212 726 9372; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Materials (London)

Vincent Dusastre

Tel: +44 20 7843 4531; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Medicine (New York)

Juan Carlos Lopez

Tel: +1 212 726 9325; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Methods (New York)

Ray Parker

Tel: +1 212 726 9627; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Nanotechnology (London)

Peter Rodgers

Tel: +44 20 7014 4019; Email: [email protected]

Nature Neuroscience (New York)

Kalyani Narasimhan

Tel: +1 212 726 9319; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Photonics (Tokyo)

Oliver Graydon

Tel: +81 3 3267 8776; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Physics (London)

Alison Wright

Tel: +44 20 7843 4555; E-mail: [email protected]

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (New York)

Michelle Montoya

Tel: +1 212 726 9331; E-mail: [email protected]

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Neda Afsarmanesh
Senior Press Officer

Nature Publishing Group
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PDFs of all the papers mentioned on this release can be found in the relevant journal’s section of http://press.nature.com. Press contacts for the Nature journals are listed at the end of this release.

PICTURES: To obtain artwork from any of the journals, you must first obtain permission from the copyright holder (if named) or author of the research paper in question (if not).

NOTE: Once a paper is published, the digital object identifier (DOI) number can be used to retrieve the abstract and full text from the journal web site (abstracts are available to everyone, full text is available only to subscribers). To do this, add the DOI to the following URL: http://dx.doi.org/ (For example, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng730). For more information about DOIs and Advance Online Publication, see http://www.nature.com/ng/aop/.

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Published: 20 Aug 2012

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