title: The Ionotropic Receptors IR21a and IR25a mediate cool sensing in Drosophila.
abstract: Animals rely on highly sensitive thermoreceptors to seek out optimal temperatures, but the molecular mechanisms of thermosensing are not well understood. The Dorsal Organ Cool Cells (DOCCs) of the Drosophila larva are a set of exceptionally thermosensitive neurons critical for larval cool avoidance. Here, we show that DOCC cool-sensing is mediated by Ionotropic Receptors (IRs), a family of sensory receptors widely studied in invertebrate chemical sensing. We find that two IRs, IR21a and IR25a, are required to mediate DOCC responses to cooling and are required for cool avoidance behavior. Furthermore, we find that ectopic expression of IR21a can confer cool-responsiveness in an Ir25a-dependent manner, suggesting an instructive role for IR21a in thermosensing. Together, these data show that IR family receptors can function together to mediate thermosensation of exquisite sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.|Department of Physics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, United States.|Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
authors.forename: Mason
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.
authors.forename: Kathryn V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Svec
authors.affiliation: National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Budelli
authors.affiliation: National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.
authors.forename: Elaine C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, United States.
authors.forename: Anggie J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benton
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.|Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
authors.forename: Aravinthan Dt
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.affiliation: National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.|Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8274-6564
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Garrity
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D058468:Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism*; D013697:Thermosensing
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C000624950:Ir21a protein, Drosophila; D058468:Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate; C555767:ionotropic receptor 25a, Drosophila
keywords: D. melanogaster; animal behavior; neural circuits; neuroscience; thermoreceptor; thermosensation; thermosensor; thermotaxis