Pheromone processing in Drosophila

- Distinct sensory systems for volatile and contact pheromone detection.
- Identified Drosophila pheromones and their receptors.
- Central processing of pheromone signals.
- Sex-specific rerouting of pheromone signals.

Understanding how sensory stimuli are processed in the brain to instruct appropriate behavior is a fundamental question in neuroscience. Drosophila has become a powerful model system to address this problem. Recent advances in characterizing the circuits underlying pheromone processing have put the field in a position to follow the transformation of these chemical signals all the way from the sensory periphery to decision making and motor output. Here we describe the latest advances, outline emerging principles of pheromone processing and discuss future questions.