title: Functional Gustatory Role of Chemoreceptors in Drosophila Wings.
abstract: Neuroanatomical evidence argues for the presence of taste sensilla in Drosophila wings; however, the taste physiology of insect wings remains hypothetical, and a comprehensive link to mechanical functions, such as flight, wing flapping, and grooming, is lacking. Our data show that the sensilla of the Drosophila anterior wing margin respond to both sweet and bitter molecules through an increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels. Conversely, genetically modified flies presenting a wing-specific reduction in chemosensory cells show severe defects in both wing taste signaling and the exploratory guidance associated with chemodetection. In Drosophila, the chemodetection machinery includes mechanical grooming, which facilitates the contact between tastants and wing chemoreceptors, and the vibrations of flapping wings that nebulize volatile molecules as carboxylic acids. Together, these data demonstrate that the Drosophila wing chemosensory sensilla are a functional taste organ and that they may have a role in the exploration of ecological niches.
authors.affiliation: INRA, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis. 400 route des Chappes, P.O. Box 167, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raad
authors.affiliation: UMR CNRS 6265/INRA 1324/Université de Bourgogne, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ferveur
authors.affiliation: INRA, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis. 400 route des Chappes, P.O. Box 167, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ledger
authors.affiliation: INRA, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis. 400 route des Chappes, P.O. Box 167, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capovilla
authors.affiliation: INRA, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254, Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis. 400 route des Chappes, P.O. Box 167, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France. Electronic address: alain.robichon@sophia.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robichon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005453:Fluorescence; D005502:Food; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058618:Sensilla / Q000378:metabolism; D013649:Taste; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging; D014867:Water; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014867:Water; D002118:Calcium