6533b7d0fe1ef96bd125ab52

RESEARCH PRODUCT

serrano gene and NaCl perception

subject

description

Gustatory information is considered to be important for animals to control behavior when they seek for food or partners. 60 members of gustatory receptor (Gr) genes have been identified in Drosophila.. However little is now about mechanisms of taste perception and transduction in response to stimuli. In order to identify new genes involved in gustation, we performed a genetic screen using Gal4-UAS system based on expression of the reporter gene in chemosensory organs and gustatory defects in larvae and adults. We identified the serrano (sano) gene, which encodes a 778 aa protein with a leucine zipper domain, a putative transmembrane domain, and putative bipartite nuclear localization signals. sano expresssion using the P-Gal4 line can be detected in several neurons of the larval terminal organs. RT-PCR analysis revealed that four transcripts sano expressed at different levels in the peripheral nervous system and the brain of larvae. Loss of aversive response towards high NaCl concentration is observed when sano function is reduced (sanoGal4 homozygous or elav-Gal4-sanodsRNA). A similar taste defect results from the blocking of neuronal transmission in sano expressing neurons (sanoGal4-UAS-TNTE). However, attractive or aversive responses towards low NaCl concentration, sweet or bitter compounds are not affected in elav-Gal4-sanodsRNA larvae. These results strongly suggest that Serrano function is specifically required in sensory neurons of the larval terminal organs for aversive response to high NaCl concentration taste.