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A map of taste neuron projections in the Drosophila CNS

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Abstract

We provide a map of the projections of taste neurons in the CNS of Drosophila. Using a collection of 67 GAL4 drivers representing the entire repertoire of Gr taste receptors, we systematically map the projections of neurons expressing these drivers in the thoracico-abdominal ganglion and the suboesophageal ganglion (SOG). We define 9 categories of projections in the thoracico-abdominal ganglia and 10 categories in the SOG. The projection patterns are modular, and can be interpreted as combinations of discrete pattern elements. The elements can be interpreted in terms of the taste organ from which the projections originate, the structures from which they originate, and the quality of taste information that they represent. The extensive diversity in projection patterns provides an anatomical basis for functional diversity in responses elicited by different taste stimuli.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Zev Wisotsky for determining the pattern of Gr64d-GAL4 labelling in the SOG. This work was supported by NIH grants to JC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 440-746, Republic of Korea

    Jae Young Kwon

  2. Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Anupama Dahanukar

  3. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520-8103, USA

    Jae Young Kwon, Anupama Dahanukar, Linnea A Weiss & John R Carlson

Authors
  1. Jae Young Kwon
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  2. Anupama Dahanukar
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  3. Linnea A Weiss
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  4. John R Carlson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John R Carlson.

Additional information

[Kwon JY, Dahanukar A, Weiss LA and Carlson JR 2014 A map of taste neuron projections in the Drosophila CNS. J. Biosci. 39 1–10] DOI 10.1007/s12038-014-9448-6

Jae Young Kwon and Anupama Dahanukar contributed equally.

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Kwon, J.Y., Dahanukar, A., Weiss, L.A. et al. A map of taste neuron projections in the Drosophila CNS. J Biosci 39, 565–574 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-014-9448-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-014-9448-6

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