title: Testing Drosophila olfaction with a Y-maze assay.
abstract: Detecting signals from the environment is essential for animals to ensure their survival. To this aim, they use environmental cues such as vision, mechanoreception, hearing, and chemoperception through taste, via direct contact or through olfaction, which represents the response to a volatile molecule acting at longer range. Volatile chemical molecules are very important signals for most animals in the detection of danger, a source of food, or to communicate between individuals. Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most common biological models for scientists to explore the cellular and molecular basis of olfaction. In order to highlight olfactory abilities of this small insect, we describe a modified choice protocol based on the Y-maze test classically used with mice. Data obtained with Y-mazes give valuable information to better understand how animals deal with their perpetually changing environment. We introduce a step-by-step protocol to study the impact of odorants on fly exploratory response using this Y-maze assay.
authors: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-6265 CNRS; Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-1324 INRA; Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université de Bourgogne.
authors: Mégane M
authors: MM
authors: Simonnet
authors: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-6265 CNRS; Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-1324 INRA; Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université de Bourgogne.
authors: Martine
authors: M
authors: Berthelot-Grosjean
authors: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-6265 CNRS; Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR-1324 INRA; Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université de Bourgogne; yael.grosjean@u-bourgogne.fr.
authors: Yael
authors: Y
authors: Grosjean
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D009812:Odorants; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*