Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Soo Min Oh, Kyunghwa Jeong, Jeong Taeg Seo, Seok Jun Moon
Summary: Through studying fruit flies, we have found that multimodal sensory integration plays a role in feeding behavior, particularly the contributions of olfactory and mechanical inputs to taste-evoked feeding behavior. Controlled delivery of three different sensory cues can produce a supra-additive reflex. Fruit flies serve as a versatile model system for studying multisensory integration related to feeding, which likely also exists in vertebrates.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Yu-Chieh David Chen, Vaibhav Menon, Ryan Matthew Joseph, Anupama Arun Dahanukar
Summary: The study investigates how taste information is encoded at the cellular level to regulate consumption of sugars and amino acids using the Drosophila pharynx as a model. It reveals the critical role of pharyngeal neurons in sugar feeding preference and demonstrates functional integration and overlap among taste neurons. Furthermore, the study highlights the specialization of pharyngeal and external neurons in driving feeding behavior.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
An-Qi Li, Sha-Sha Li, Ruo-Xin Zhang, Xin-Yuan Zhao, Zhi-Ying Liu, Yun Hu, Bei Wang, G. Gregory Neely, Stephen J. Simpson, Qiao-Ping Wang
Summary: The balance of dietary protein and carbohydrates affects sweet taste perception, with high protein low carbohydrate diets sensitizing sweet taste and low protein high carbohydrate diets desensitizing sweet taste. Amino acids such as glycine, serine, and threonine may mediate the effects of diet on sweet taste perception. Supplementation of serine and threonine enhances sweet taste sensitivity in flies fed a low protein high carbohydrate diet.
JOURNAL OF GENETICS AND GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Anindya Ganguly, Manali Dey, Christi Scott, Vi-Khoi Duong, Anupama Arun Dahanukar
Summary: Food choice in animals can change with internal nutritional state and dietary conditions. In fruit flies, macronutrient imbalances in diet can lead to compensatory behavioral shifts, as well as changes in taste sensitivity. This study found that the preferences for specific macronutrients were modified in response to diet composition, with differences in onset of changes in taste sensitivity and behavior. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms behind these changes were investigated, showing the involvement of certain genes in modulating taste preferences.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Renata C. Carneiro, Chunmiao Wang, Jiawei Yu, Sean F. O'Keefe, Susan E. Duncan, Conor D. Gallagher, Gary A. Burlingame, Andrea M. Dietrich
Summary: Consumers globally judge drinking water quality based on its aesthetic qualities, and consumer feedback is crucial for the water industry. This study developed a new method to describe taste and odor issues, with participants reporting a positive experience using the method.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Shivam Kaushik, Rahul Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Srishti Sanghi, Pinky Kain
Summary: The study aims to understand the effect of gurmar on sweet taste feeding behavior in fruit flies. The results demonstrate that gurmar can inhibit sugar-evoked feeding responses and aversion in flies, and it also has detrimental effects on their development. Understanding how gurmar reshapes taste curves in flies can provide insights into addressing health issues related to high sugar consumption.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alina Vulpe, Hyong S. Kim, Sydney Ballou, Shiuan-Tze Wu, Veit Grabe, Cesar Nava Gonzales, Tiffany Liang, Silke Sachse, James M. Jeanne, Chih-Ying Su, Karen Menuz
Summary: Ammonia attracts various insects, including hematophagous ones and fruit flies, but most insect genomes lack the gene responsible for ammonia sensitivity.
Review
Food Science & Technology
Manuel Juarez, Stephanie Lam, Benjamin M. Bohrer, Michael E. R. Dugan, Payam Vahmani, Jennifer Aalhus, Ana Juarez, Oscar Lopez-Campos, Nuria Prieto, Jose Segura
Summary: Consumption of red meat provides essential nutrients to human diet, and dietary and genetic manipulation of livestock can optimize the nutritional value of meat products. Future studies should aim to balance potential impacts on product quality and consumer perception in order to enhance the nutritional value of meat. Emerging fields such as phenomics, nutrigenomics, livestock precision farming, and systems biology may offer opportunities to improve the nutritional value of meat under both experimental and commercial conditions.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
J. Chalmers, Y. C. L. Tung, C. H. Liu, C. J. O'Kane, S. O'Rahilly, G. S. H. Yeo
Summary: A multicomponent screen for feeding behaviour phenotypes in Drosophila was validated and used to study genes implicated in energy homeostasis and nutritionally regulated genes in hypothalamic neurons. The study identified genes from human GWAS and murine genes that significantly influenced feeding behaviour and energy homeostasis in fruit flies. This approach demonstrates the utility of Drosophila as a model organism for high-throughput genetic screening of obesity-related genes.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Celia K. S. Lau, Meghan Jelen, Michael D. Gordon
Summary: This study identified novel taste and feeding neurons in Drosophila melanogaster using optogenetic activation screening, providing insights into taste and feeding circuits. By screening 122 preselected GAL4 lines, the researchers found neurons that acutely promote or inhibit feeding, leading to further understanding of appetitive and aversive neurons. Additionally, the study highlighted putative second-order taste interneurons labeled by R70C07-GAL4, serving as a resource for further functional dissection of fly feeding circuits.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Pavan Vaswani, James Morley, Danna Jennings, Andrew Siderowf, Kenneth Marek, PARS Investigators
Summary: There is disagreement regarding whether olfaction may show specific impairments in Parkinson Disease (PD) and if specific odor tests could be more effective for diagnosis. This study aimed to validate previously proposed subsets of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) odors for predicting conversion to PD. The results showed that no subsets, including proposed PD-specific ones, performed better than the full 40-item UPSIT. Therefore, selective olfactory impairment in Parkinson disease was not found.
NPJ PARKINSONS DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Toshiharu Ichinose, Mai Kannot, Hongyang Wu, Nobuhiro Yamagata, Huan Sun, Ayako Abe, Hiromu Tanimoto
Summary: The study investigated the contribution of mushroom body output neurons to behavior in fruit flies and found that the value of memory has a greater impact on the required neuron pattern, with glutamatergic neurons forming recurrent circuits playing a key role in appetitive memory acquisition.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meng-Hsuan Chiang, Yu-Chun Lin, Sheng-Fu Chen, Peng-Shiuan Lee, Tsai-Feng Fu, Tony Wu, Chia-Lin Wu
Summary: Thermosensation is critical for animal survival. This study reveals that nutritional status affects thermosensation in fruit flies, with hungry flies exhibiting stronger hot avoidance behavior. The activity of specific neurons in the brain is increased in hungry flies and these neurons receive the same level of hot input in both food-sated and hungry states. Insulin-like peptides regulate the activity of these neurons depending on feeding conditions. Surprisingly, different signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of hot avoidance behavior based on the type of insulin-like peptide. Finally, two specific neurons are found to be necessary for the output of integrated information related to hot avoidance behavior. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms of thermosensation modulation and its importance for animal survival.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Sahya Maulu, Kundananji Nawanzi, Mohsen Abdel-Tawwab, Hala Saber Khalil
Summary: Fish is a vital source of animal protein for human consumption and plays a significant role in global food and nutrition security. While highly nutritious, fish is also susceptible to contamination by various compounds, posing a threat to public health with potentially severe effects on children.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
J. Tobajas, E. Descalzo, R. Villafuerte, J. Jimenez, R. Mateo, P. Ferreras
Summary: The study found that conditioned odor aversion can reduce predation on rabbits by foxes and has a positive impact on rabbit population growth after translocation. This non-lethal method could be used for the recovery of key prey during programs involving the reintroduction of endangered predators or vulnerable species requiring translocations.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2021)