Just as Sexual Behavioral Circuits in Flies Were Dissected Using

question 9

Essay

Just as sexual behavioral circuits in flies were dissected using a GAL4 driver that had been knocked into the Fru locus, genetic manipulation of subsets of neurons expressing sex hormone receptors can provide insights into the function of specific brain nuclei in mammalian sexual behavior.
A. How could the Cre/loxP system be used to determine whether estradiol receptor-expressing neurons in the VMH are necessary in males for mating with females and aggression towards intruder males?
B. What experimental evidence suggests that estradiol reception by VMH neurons is sufficient to produce either mating or aggression, depending on the intensity of the stimulus?
C. Suggest some experiments that could be used to help determine whether the same population of VMH neurons mediates mating vs. aggression in males.

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