Transcriptional regulation of neuropeptide receptors underlies context-dependent adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Neuropeptides (NPs) and their receptors (NPRs) play critical roles in modulating physiological processes and behaviors across species. While the transcriptional regulation of NP genes has been extensively studied, how NPRs contribute to context-dependent behavioral plasticity remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the genomic features and expression patterns of NPRs in Drosophila melanogaster, leveraging comparative genomics, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), transcription factor (TF) network analysis, and empirical validation to uncover the regulatory mechanisms that involve NPRs and play roles in context-dependent adaptation.