The Ionotropic Receptors IR21a and IR25a mediate cool sensing in Drosophila

eLife

Anggie J Ferrer¹  Kathryn V Svec²  Paul A Garrity²  Elaine C Chang³  Mason Klein⁴  Aravinthan DT Samuel⁴  Gonzalo Budelli⁵  Richard Benton⁶  Lina Ni⁶ 

[1] Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States;Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States;Department of Physics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, United States;Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States;Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States;National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States;

关键词: thermosensation;    thermosensor;    thermoreceptor;    thermotaxis;    animal behavior;    neural circuits;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.13254

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Animals rely on highly sensitive thermoreceptors to seek out optimal temperatures, but the molecular mechanisms of thermosensing are not well understood. The Dorsal Organ Cool Cells (DOCCs) of the Drosophila larva are a set of exceptionally thermosensitive neurons critical for larval cool avoidance. Here, we show that DOCC cool-sensing is mediated by Ionotropic Receptors (IRs), a family of sensory receptors widely studied in invertebrate chemical sensing. We find that two IRs, IR21a and IR25a, are required to mediate DOCC responses to cooling and are required for cool avoidance behavior. Furthermore, we find that ectopic expression of IR21a can confer cool-responsiveness in an Ir25a-dependent manner, suggesting an instructive role for IR21a in thermosensing. Together, these data show that IR family receptors can function together to mediate thermosensation of exquisite sensitivity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown