Visualization of the chemical defense molecule formoside binding to sensory structures in a model fish predator.

ABSTRACT: Sensory perception of chemical threats coming from an organism's environment relies on the coordination of numerous receptors and cell types. In many cases, the physiological processes responsible for driving behavioral responses to chemical cues are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the physiological response of fish to an unpalatable compound, formoside, which is employed as a chemical defense by marine sponges. Construction of fluorescent probe derivatives of formoside allowed visualization of this chemical defense molecule in vivo, interacting with the cells and tissues of the early larvae of a model predator, the zebrafish (Danio rerio). This revealed the precise chemosensory structures targeted by formoside to be in the taste buds and olfactory epithelium of developing zebrafi

SUBMITTER: Mascuch SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10753513 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature