Gsalpha is involved in sugar perception in Drosophila melanogaster.

Kohei Ueno, Soh Kohatsu, Catherine Clay, Michael Forte, Kunio Isono, Yoshiaki Kidokoro

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

In Drosophila melanogaster, gustatory receptor genes (Grs) encode G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs) and some olfactory receptor neurons. One of the Gr genes, Gr5a, encodes a sugar receptor that is expressed in a subset of GRNs and has been most extensively studied both molecularly and physiologically, but the G-protein alpha subunit (Galpha) that is coupled to this sugar receptor remains unknown. Here, we propose that Gs is the Galpha that is responsible for Gr5a-mediated sugar-taste transduction, based on the following findings: First, immunoreactivities against Gs were detected in a subset of GRNs including all Gr5a-expressing neurons. Second, trehalose-intake is reduced in flies heterozygous for null mutations in DGsalpha, a homolog of mammalian Gs, and trehalose-induced electrical activities in sugar-sensitive GRNs were depressed in those flies. Furthermore, expression of wild-type DGsalpha in sugar-sensitive GRNs in heterozygotic DGsalpha mutant flies rescued those impairments. Third, expression of double-stranded RNA for DGsalpha in sugar-sensitive GRNs depressed both behavioral and electrophysiological responses to trehalose. Together, these findings indicate that DGsalpha is involved in trehalose perception. We suggest that sugar-taste signals are processed through the Gsalpha-mediating signal transduction pathway in sugar-sensitive GRNs in Drosophila.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6143-6152
Number of pages10
JournalThe Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Volume26
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 7 2006
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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