title: Synergism and Combinatorial Coding for Binary Odor Mixture Perception in Drosophila.
abstract: Most odors in the natural environment are mixtures of several compounds. Olfactory receptors housed in the olfactory sensory neurons detect these odors and transmit the information to the brain, leading to decision-making. But whether the olfactory system detects the ingredients of a mixture separately or treats mixtures as different entities is not well understood. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, we have demonstrated that fruit flies perceive binary odor mixtures in a manner that is heavily dependent on both the proportion and the degree of dilution of the components, suggesting a combinatorial coding at the peripheral level. This coding strategy appears to be receptor specific and is independent of interneuronal interactions.
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus , Bangalore 560065, India.
authors: Srikanya
authors: 0000-0002-5489-7058
authors: S
authors: Kundu
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus , Bangalore 560065, India.
authors: Anindya
authors: 0000-0003-2677-0380
authors: A
authors: Ganguly
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus , Bangalore 560065, India.
authors: Tuhin Subhra
authors: TS
authors: Chakraborty
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus , Bangalore 560065, India.
authors: Arun
authors: 0000-0003-1105-3530
authors: A
authors: Kumar
authors: National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus , Bangalore 560065, India.
authors: Obaid
authors: O
authors: Siddiqi
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone; D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003931:Diacetyl; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D005260:Female; D009812:Odorants; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000378:metabolism; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D000096:Acetone; D003931:Diacetyl
keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; behavior; binary mixture; neuronal coding; receptor specificity; synergism