During courtship, a major form of social interaction between flies, the role of touch sensation is poorly understood. For example, activation of mechanosensory neurons on the fore-leg induced by tapping can trigger collective behavior in Drosophila 6. In animals with intra-species interaction, response to body touch is actively regulated with social contexts 5. However, the neural mechanism behind social regulation of mechanosensation is largely elusive. These modulations can occur at both the peripheral and central nervous systems 3, 4. This versatility of mechanosensory behaviors is essential for animals to adapt to different environments. The perception of touch is affected with social context and in turn conveys nuanced social information. Animals’ responses to external stimuli, including mechanical force, are tuned by internal states and social contexts 1, 2. Such a modulation is crucial for the balance between defense against body contacts and sexual receptivity. While male cues suppress it via a doublesex ( dsx) neuronal pathway, mating sensitizes it by stimulating a group of uterine neurons and consequently activating a leucokinin-dependent pathway. ![]() The circuit receives excitatory inputs from peripheral mechanoreceptors and coordinates the defensive response. This state-dependent switch is mediated by a functional reconfiguration of a neural circuit labelled with the Tmc-L gene in the ventral nerve cord. ![]() In contrast, virgin female flies being courted by a male show a compromised defensive response to the stimuli, but following mating the response is enhanced. Here we report that fruit flies exhibit a strong defensive response to mechanical stimuli to their wings. ![]() Social context can dampen or amplify the perception of touch, and touch in turn conveys nuanced social information.
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