title: Representations of Taste Modality in the Drosophila Brain.
abstract: Gustatory receptors and peripheral taste cells have been identified in flies and mammals, revealing that sensory cells are tuned to taste modality across species. How taste modalities are processed in higher brain centers to guide feeding decisions is unresolved. Here, we developed a large-scale calcium-imaging approach coupled with cell labeling to examine how different taste modalities are processed in the fly brain. These studies reveal that sweet, bitter, and water sensory cells activate different cell populations throughout the subesophageal zone, with most cells responding to a single taste modality. Pathways for sweet and bitter tastes are segregated from sensory input to motor output, and this segregation is maintained in higher brain areas, including regions implicated in learning and neuromodulation. Our work reveals independent processing of appetitive and aversive tastes, suggesting that flies and mammals use a similar coding strategy to ensure innate responses to salient compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kallman
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Brendan C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Mullaney
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Electronic address: kscott@berkeley.edu.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D053503:Epithelial Sodium Channels; D005260:Female; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D058476:Receptors, Purinergic P2X2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013395:Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D053503:Epithelial Sodium Channels; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; C549272:PPK28 protein, Drosophila; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D058476:Receptors, Purinergic P2X2; D013549:Sweetening Agents; C068457:3-aminopropyl(methyl)phosphinic acid; D013395:Sucrose; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002118:Calcium