title: The propensity for consuming ethanol in Drosophila requires rutabaga adenylyl cyclase expression within mushroom body neurons.
abstract: Alcohol activates reward systems through an unknown mechanism, in some cases leading to alcohol abuse and dependence. Herein, we utilized a two-choice Capillary Feeder assay to address the neural and molecular basis for ethanol self-administration in Drosophila melanogaster. Wild-type Drosophila shows a significant preference for food containing between 5% and 15% ethanol. Preferred ethanol self-administration does not appear to be due to caloric advantage, nor due to perceptual biases, suggesting a hedonic bias for ethanol exists in Drosophila. Interestingly, rutabaga adenylyl cyclase expression within intrinsic mushroom body neurons is necessary for robust ethanol self-administration. The expression of rutabaga in mushroom bodies is also required for both appetitive and aversive olfactory associative memories, suggesting that reinforced behavior has an important role in the ethanol self-administration in Drosophila. However, rutabaga expression is required more broadly within the mushroom bodies for the preference for ethanol-containing food than for olfactory memories reinforced by sugar reward. Together these data implicate cAMP signaling and behavioral reinforcement for preferred ethanol self-administration in D. melanogaster.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Pletcher
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roman
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D024521:Mushroom Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D000431:Ethanol; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases; C479926:Rut protein, Drosophila