title: Molecular neurobiology of Drosophila taste.
abstract: Drosophila is a powerful model in which to study the molecular and cellular basis of taste coding. Flies sense tastants via populations of taste neurons that are activated by compounds of distinct categories. The past few years have borne witness to studies that define the properties of taste neurons, identifying functionally distinct classes of sweet and bitter taste neurons that express unique subsets of gustatory receptor (Gr) genes, as well as water, salt, and pheromone sensing neurons that express members of the pickpocket (ppk) or ionotropic receptor (Ir) families. There has also been significant progress in terms of understanding how tastant information is processed and conveyed to higher brain centers, and modulated by prior dietary experience or starvation.
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Erica Gene
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. Electronic address: anupama.dahanukar@ucr.edu.
authors.forename: Anupama
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dahanukar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009446:Neurobiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins