Biology subjects

Cury, K. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Cury, K. M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Visual object recognition in the fly: the internal representation of a predator drives defensive behaviour

Animals recognize visual objects and respond to them appropriately to survive. This process is thought to unfold in stages: the visual scene is first deconstructed into constituent features, which are then reconstructed into representations of object identity and relayed to motor circuits. Here we define a neural circuit in Drosophila that underlies the visual recognition of a natural predator, the parasitoid wasp, and orchestrates defence. We found that flies exhibit a repertoire of directed defensive actions structured by the wasp's position within the fly's field of view. Expression of these behaviours is driven by visual detection of a conspicuous morphological cue -- the wasp's elongated antennae. A small subset of lobula columnar (LC) visual projection neuron types are required for defence and are activated by constituent visual features of the wasp. Three LC types respond selectively to the wasp's antennae, and relay this information to LC9, which sums antennal- and body-feature signals to form a composite representation of the wasp. Spatial filtering of this representation onto a descending premotor pathway translates the wasp's location in visual space into directed defence. Feature combination followed by spatial filtering may constitute a general mechanism for coupling object identity to context-appropriate action.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

The TRP-channel painless mediates substrate stiffness sensing in the legs during Drosophila oviposition

The distinct textural properties of fruits in varying stages of ripening present unique ecological opportunities for several species of fruit flies, resulting, over evolutionary times, in specialized egg-laying behaviors. In this study we identified a TrpA channel-dependent mechanosensory pathway in the legs, through the gene painless, that modulates the discernment of softer patches for oviposition in gravid D. melanogaster females. We report that the stiffness-sensing role of tarsi is mediated through external sensory organs housed, namely ventral mechanosensory bristles and subsets of campaniform sensilla present primarily at the joints between tarsomeres. Our findings provide new evidence that campaniform sensilla function as indirect stiffness sensors of oviposition substrates, owing to their placement at joints that experience maximal cuticular distortion. We show that Painless is expressed in mechanosensory neurons innervating peripheral organs where it likely participates in the transduction of stiffness-evoked stimuli. Furthermore, we observed that overexpression of painless in both campaniform sensilla and mechanosensory bristles partially rescues preference for the softer substrates in painless mutants, indicating that painless activity in these organs is necessary to mediate the preference. We propose that different interactions with a soft vs. a hard substrate (compression of the cuticle, distribution of contacts) results in differential mechanotransduction in painless-expressing neurons, determining oviposition preferences.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Decisions in an Innate Behavioral Sequence

Innate behaviors are comprised of ordered sequences of component actions that progress to satisfy drives. We have characterized the structure of egg-laying behavior in Drosophila in detail and observed that the sequence is not merely comprised of motor acts but also acts of sensory exploration that govern the transitions between component actions. We have identified a cluster of internal sensory neurons that provide information about the progression of the egg during ovipositor burrowing, a behavior necessary for the subterraneous deposition of the egg. These neurons impart sensory feedback that allows burrowing to continue to egg deposition or to abort in favor of further exploration. Diminished activity of these neurons upon completed egg expulsion may initiate the transition to the final phase of egg-laying, allowing the cycle to repeat. Sensory feedback therefore plays a critical role at decision points between transitions affording innate behaviors with an adaptive flexibility.

neuroscience↗