Molecular, Anatomical, and Functional Organization of the Drosophila Olfactory System

Couto, Africa; Alenius, Mattias; Dickson, Barry J.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2005.07.034

Cited by 887 publications

(1,339 citation statements)

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“…Specifically, Gr-Gal4 drivers were combined with GFP reporters that localize to axons and synapses, such as syn-GFP or CD8-GFP, followed by analysis of whole brain preparations using confocal microscopy. These studies have revealed that, unlike in the fly olfactory system, where precise axonal projections of OSNs to specific antennal lobe glomeruli are the rule [102,103], taste neurons send their axons to loosely defined, widely circumscribed zones in the SOG or thoracic ganglia [36,42]. For example, labial palp GRNs that express Gr5a project to large areas in the lateral and anterior region of the SOG, whereas the Gr66a-expressing GRNs project to the medial part of the SOG (Fig.…”

Section: Signal Transductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taste and pheromone perception in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Ebbs

Amrein

2007

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

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Taste is an essential sense for detection of nutrient-rich food and avoidance of toxic substances. The Drosophila melanogaster gustatory system provides an excellent model to study taste perception and taste-elicited behaviors. "The fly" is unique in the animal kingdom with regard to available experimental tools, which include a wide repertoire of molecular-genetic analyses (i.e., efficient production of transgenics and gene knockouts), elegant behavioral assays, and the possibility to conduct electrophysiological investigations. In addition, fruit flies, like humans, recognize sugars as a food source, but avoid bitter tasting substances that are often toxic to insects and mammals alike. This paper will present recent research progress in the field of taste and contact pheromone perception in the fruit fly. First, we shall describe the anatomical properties of the Drosophila gustatory system and survey the family of taste receptors to provide an appropriate background. We shall then review taste and pheromone perception mainly from a molecular genetic perspective that includes behavioral, electrophysiological and imaging analyses of wild type flies and flies with genetically manipulated taste cells. Finally, we shall provide an outlook of taste research in this elegant model system for the next few years.Keywords Drosophila . Gustatory receptor neurons . GTP-binding protein-coupled receptors Like most animals, Drosophila monitor their chemical world with two distinct senses: the olfactory system, which is used for the detection of volatile chemicals, and the gustatory (taste) system, which enables the fly to detect soluble compounds. The olfactory sensory system (or the fly nose) is comprised of two pairwise head appendages, the third segments of the antennae, and the maxillary palps (Fig. 1). These appendages are covered with hundreds of sensory hairs, each of which contains two to four olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) [1]. In contrast, the gustatory system is widely distributed over the animal's body. The main taste organ, the proboscis or labial palps (i.e., the fly tongue), is located on the distal end of the labellum (also a head appendage), but flies, like many other insects, have taste sensilla on legs and wings and, in females, on the genitalia [1,2].The roles of the olfactory and taste systems are clearly separated with regard to the physical state of chemicals they detect (volatile vs solubilized). However, the two systems often cooperate to fulfill specific functions in related processes and behaviors, the most obvious of them being the location and identification of food. For example, chemical cues such as the specific odor of a flower and the sugar compounds present in its nectar are by nature associated with one another. Thus, the odor cue provides a primary sensory input for an insect such as a honeybee to locate a food source (nectar), whose particular chemical composition is subsequently verified by the taste system. Similarly, the typical odor of yeast, which produces high amounts of t...

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Section: Signal Transductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taste and pheromone perception in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Ebbs

Amrein

2007

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

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“…Molecular, genetic, and neurosensory knowledge in D. melanogaster frames the most complete picture of an olfactory system that is available, from odorant receptor genes to neuroanatomy and central processing of the olfactory input (Couto et al 2005;Benton et al 2007;Jefferis et al 2007;Dickson 2008). A current challenge is to further expand our view to also include odor-mediated behavior that reflects the entire integration pathway from ligand-binding to motor output.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flying the Fly: Long-range Flight Behavior of Drosophila melanogaster to Attractive Odors

Becher¹,

Bengtsson²,

et al. 2010

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“…Understanding of the Drosophila olfactory system has advanced rapidly, including the anatomy of primary sensory sensilla, their functional roles, and molecular identification of many olfactory receptors (Stensmyr et al, 2003;Couto et al, 2005;Laissue and Vosshall, 2008). However, the integration of primary sensory information is not well understood (Dobritsa et al, 2003;Couto et al, 2005; and will probably require detailed descriptions of individual sensory neuron responses to fluctuating concentrations of odorant chemicals, including their polarities and dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the integration of primary sensory information is not well understood (Dobritsa et al, 2003;Couto et al, 2005; and will probably require detailed descriptions of individual sensory neuron responses to fluctuating concentrations of odorant chemicals, including their polarities and dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dynamic Characterization ofDrosophilaAntennal Olfactory Neurons Indicates Multiple Opponent Signaling Pathways in Odor Discrimination

French

Torkkeli²,

Schückel³

2011

J. Neurosci.

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Opponent signaling refers to processes in which antagonistic signals are produced by different, but closely related, stimuli. It allows enhanced discrimination and more accurate behavioral responses. We explored opponent signaling in the Drosophila melanogaster olfactory system by measuring frequency response functions between odorant concentrations and primary olfactory neuron responses. Random fluctuations in concentration of two aliphatic and two aromatic fruit odorants were used to modulate action potentials from basiconic antennal sensilla. We separated action potentials by two-dimensional cluster analysis using amplitude and cross-correlation with a median action-potential template. Frequency response functions were fitted with either bandpass or second-order low-pass functions and then divided into two polarity groups, excitatory and inhibitory, by fitting the frequency response functions. Cluster analysis gave two, three, or four action potential clusters for each sensillum recording. Sensilla were then grouped by the patterns of response polarities of the individual neurons into four sensillum types, one with four neurons and three with two neurons. All four odorant compounds produced a mixture of excitatory, inhibitory, and null responses in different neurons. Statistical analysis of frequency response parameters for individual odorants gave only weak correlation between dynamics and some neuron types, even when comparing the dynamics of excitatory and inhibitory responses to the same odorant. However, response dynamics were significantly different between aliphatic and aromatic compounds, and between the two aliphatic compounds. Each odorant caused opposing excitatory and inhibitory signals to be sent to the antennal lobe along at least two pairs of axonal pathways.

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Molecular, Anatomical, and Functional Organization of the Drosophila Olfactory System

Cited by 887 publications

References 68 publications

Taste and pheromone perception in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Taste and pheromone perception in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Flying the Fly: Long-range Flight Behavior of Drosophila melanogaster to Attractive Odors

Dynamic Characterization ofDrosophilaAntennal Olfactory Neurons Indicates Multiple Opponent Signaling Pathways in Odor Discrimination

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