One important aspect of brain development is the generation of sex- specific neurons that are involved in the regulation of sex- specific behaviors, hormonal controls and reproduction. The development of male-specific and female-specific neurons will be studied in the fruitfly, an organism optimal for elucidating the genetic and molecular events underlying the development of neuronal fate. Immunohistochemistry and neuronal tracing techniques will be used to isolate and characterize male-specific and female-specific neurons in the nervous systems of both sexes. The effects of mutations on the commitment of neurons to a sex-specific fate and the maintenance of this decision will also be studied. These studies will provide fundamental information on genes involved in the generation of neuronal diversity in the brain.
