A Gr receptor is required for response to the sugar trehalose in taste neurons of Drosophila

A Dahanukar; K Foster; W M van der Goes van Naters; J R Carlson

doi:10.1038/nn765

A Gr receptor is required for response to the sugar trehalose in taste neurons of Drosophila

Nat Neurosci. 2001 Dec;4(12):1182-6. doi: 10.1038/nn765.

Authors

A Dahanukar¹, K Foster, W M van der Goes van Naters, J R Carlson

Affiliation

¹ Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, PO Box 208103, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8103, USA.

PMID: 11704765
DOI: 10.1038/nn765

Abstract

We recently identified from the Drosophila genome database a large family of G protein-coupled receptor genes, the Gr genes, and predicted that they encode taste receptors on the basis of their structure and specificity of expression. The expression of Gr genes in gustatory neurons has subsequently been confirmed and 56 family members have been reported. Here we provide functional evidence that one Gr gene, Gr5a, encodes a taste receptor required for response to the sugar trehalose. In two different mutants that carry deletions in Gr5a, electrophysiological and behavioral responses to trehalose were diminished but the response to sucrose was unaffected. Transgenic rescue experiments showed that Gr5a confers response to trehalose. The results correlate a particular taste ligand with a Gr receptor and indicate a role for G protein-mediated signaling in the transduction of sweet taste in Drosophila.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Action Potentials / drug effects
Action Potentials / physiology
Animals
Animals, Genetically Modified / genetics
Base Sequence / physiology
Behavior, Animal / drug effects
Behavior, Animal / physiology
Codon / genetics
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drosophila / cytology
Drosophila / physiology*
Food, Formulated
GTP-Binding Proteins / drug effects
GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics*
GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism
Gene Deletion
Gene Expression Regulation / physiology
Genetic Linkage / physiology
Male
Mutation / physiology*
Neurons, Afferent / drug effects
Neurons, Afferent / physiology*
Phenotype
Protein Biosynthesis / physiology
Receptors, Cell Surface / drug effects
Receptors, Cell Surface / genetics*
Receptors, Cell Surface / metabolism
Sucrose / pharmacology
Taste / drug effects
Taste / physiology*
Trehalose / genetics
Trehalose / metabolism
Trehalose / pharmacology*
X Chromosome / genetics

Substances

Codon
Receptors, Cell Surface
Sucrose
Trehalose
GTP-Binding Proteins