Male copulation is a complex behavior that requires coordinated communication between the nervous system and the peripheral reproductive organs involved in mating. In hermaphroditic animals, such as the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis, this complexity increases since the animal can behave both as male and female. The performance of the sexual role as a male is coordinated via a neuronal communication regulated by many peptidergic neurons, clustered in the cerebral and pedal ganglia and dispersed in the pleural and parietal ganglia. By combining single-cell matrix-assisted laser mass spectrometry with retrograde staining and electrophysiology, we analyzed neuropeptide expression of single neurons of the right parietal ganglion and their axonal projections into the penial nerve. Based on the neuropeptide profile of these neurons, we were able to reconstruct a chemical map of the right parietal ganglion revealing a striking correlation with the earlier electrophysiological and neuroanatomical studies. Neurons can be divided into two main groups: (i) neurons that express heptapeptides and (ii) neurons that do not. The neuronal projection of the different neurons into the penial nerve reveals a pattern where (spontaneous) activity is related to branching pattern. This heterogeneity in both neurochemical anatomy and branching pattern of the parietal neurons reflects the complexity of the peptidergic neurotransmission involved in the regulation of male mating behavior in this simultaneous hermaphrodite.

中文翻译：

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单细胞分析涉及同时雌雄同体雄性交配行为的右顶神经元的肽表达和电生理。

雄性交配是一种复杂的行为，需要神经系统与参与交配的周围生殖器官之间协调沟通。在雌雄同体的动物中，例如淡水蜗牛lymnaea stagnalis，这种复杂性会增加，因为动物可以表现出雌雄同体的行为。通过许多肽能神经元调节的神经元通讯来协调男性的性角色的表现，这些神经元聚集在大脑和踏板神经节中，并分散在胸膜和顶叶神经节中。通过将单细胞基质辅助激光质谱与逆行染色和电生理学相结合，我们分析了右顶神经节的单个神经元的神经肽表达以及它们进入轴突的轴突。基于这些神经元的神经肽谱，我们能够重建右顶神经节的化学图谱，揭示了与早期电生理学和神经解剖学研究的显着相关性。神经元可分为两大类：（i）表达七肽的神经元和（ii）不表达七肽的神经元。不同神经元向阴茎神经的神经元投射揭示了一种模式，其中（自发）活性与分支模式有关。顶神经元的神经化学解剖学和分支模式的这种异质性反映了在同时雌雄同体的雄性交配行为的调节中涉及的肽能神经传递的复杂性。