Enhanced mate refusal in female Drosophila induced by a mutation in the spinster locus

Abstract

By screening Drosophila melanogaster strains harboring single P-element insertions for aberrant mating behavior, we isolated a mutant named spinster (spinpl), in which the females had subnormal receptivity to copulation. The spinpl females continuously display rejection behaviors typical of immature virgins such as decamping, kicking, and fending in response to courting males. Excision of the P-element inserted at 52E in the spinpl mutant resulted in phenotypic reversion to wild-type, indicating that the spin locus at 52E is responsible for altered receptivity in the mutant females.