Diverse mechanisms of taste coding in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Taste systems encode chemical cues that drive vital behaviors. We have elucidated noncanonical features of taste coding using an unconventional kind of electrophysiological analysis. We find that taste neurons of Drosophila are much more sensitive than previously thought. They have a low spontaneous firing frequency that depends on taste receptors. Taste neurons have a dual function as olfactory neurons: They are activated by most tested odorants, including N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), at a distance. DEET can also inhibit certain taste neurons, revealing that there are two modes of taste response: activation and inhibition. We characterize electrophysiological OFF responses and find that the tastants that elicit them are related in structure. OFF responses

SUBMITTER: Dweck HKM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10656072 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature