本期封面所示为一只雄性果蝇在对另一只走在它前面的雄性对手进行“翅膀威胁”，这是一种典型的攻击行为。图片被转换成了假彩色，以更清楚地演示该行为。
控制进攻性的信息素已在昆虫和小鼠身上被发现，但其中所涉及的神经回路却仍不清楚。Liming Wung 和David Anderson发现，由雄性果蝇产生的挥发性信息素cVA (cis-vaccenyl acetate)能通过激发表达一种名为Or67d 的cVA受体蛋白的嗅觉神经元来促进雄性对雄性的攻击性。这个神经回路是通过由cVA促进的攻击性来调控雄性种群密度及雄性果蝇从食物源的扩散所必需的。用经典遗传模型果蝇所进行的这项研究工作，使有关攻击行为的研究向详细的基因操纵和调查方法敞开了大门。
英文原文原始出处及摘要：
Nature 463, 227-231 (14 January 2010) | doi:10.1038/nature08678
Identification of an aggression-promoting pheromone and its receptor neurons in Drosophila
Liming Wang1 " David J. Anderson1,2
1 Division of Biology 216-76,
2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
3 Correspondence to: Liming Wang1David J. Anderson1,2 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.J.A. or L.W.
Aggression is regulated by pheromones in many animal species1, 2, 3. However, in no system have aggression pheromones, their cognate receptors and corresponding sensory neurons been identified. Here we show that 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a male-specific volatile pheromone, robustly promotes male–male aggression in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. The aggression-promoting effect of synthetic cVA requires olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the receptor Or67d4, 5, 6, as well as the receptor itself. Activation of Or67d-expressing OSNs, either by genetic manipulation of their excitability or by exposure to male pheromones in the absence of other classes of OSNs, is sufficient to promote aggression. High densities of male flies can promote aggression by the release of volatile cVA. In turn, cVA-promoted aggression can promote male fly dispersal from a food resource, in a manner dependent on Or67d-expressing OSNs. These data indicate that cVA may mediate negative-feedback control of male population density, through its effect on aggression. Identification of a pheromone–OSN pair controlling aggression in a genetic organism opens the way to unravelling the neurobiology of this evolutionarily conserved behaviour.
