Neural mechanisms of context-dependent processing of CO2 avoidance behavior in fruit flies

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, innately avoids even low levels of CO 2 . CO 2 is part of the so-called Drosophila stress odor produced by stressed flies, but also a byproduct of fermenting fruit, a main food source, making the strong avoidance behavior somewhat surprising. Therefore, we add...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fly (Austin, Tex.) Tex.), 2014, Vol.8 (2), p.68-74
Main Authors: Siju, KP, Bräcker, Lasse B, Grunwald Kadow, IC
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
antennal lobe
Carbon Dioxide - physiology
dopamine
Dopamine - physiology
Drosophila
Drosophila melanogaster - physiology
Feeding Behavior - physiology
Mushroom Bodies - physiology
mushroom body
neuromodulation
olfaction
Olfactory Pathways - physiology
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Summary:The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, innately avoids even low levels of CO 2 . CO 2 is part of the so-called Drosophila stress odor produced by stressed flies, but also a byproduct of fermenting fruit, a main food source, making the strong avoidance behavior somewhat surprising. Therefore, we addressed whether feeding states might influence the fly's behavior and processing of CO 2 . In a recent report, we showed that this innate behavior is differentially processed and modified according to the feeding state of the fly. Interestingly, we found that hungry flies require the function of the mushroom body, a higher brain center required for olfactory learning and memory, but thought to be dispensable for innate olfactory behaviors. In addition, we anatomically and functionally characterized a novel bilateral projection neuron connecting the CO 2 sensory input to the mushroom body. This neuron was essential for processing of CO 2 in the starved fly but not in the fed fly. In this Extra View article, we provide evidence for the potential involvement of the neuromodulator dopamine in state-dependent CO 2 avoidance behavior. Taken together, our work demonstrates that CO 2 avoidance behavior is mediated by alternative neural pathways in a context-dependent manner. Furthermore, it shows that the mushroom body is not only involved in processing of learned olfactory behavior, as previously suggested, but also in context-dependent innate olfaction.
ISSN:1933-6934
1933-6942
DOI:10.4161/fly.28000