Work

Cholesterol taste avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Year: 2025

Type: preprint

Abstract: , is capable of detecting cholesterol through their gustatory system. We found that flies are indifferent to low levels of cholesterol and avoid higher levels. The avoidance is mediated by gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs), demonstrating that flies can taste cholesterol. The cholesterol-responsive GRNs comprise a subset that also responds to bitter substances. Cholesterol detection depends on five ionotropic receptor (IR) family members, and disrupting any of these genes impairs the flies' ability to avoid cholesterol. Ectopic expressions of these IRs in GRNs reveals two classes of cholesterol receptors, each with three shared IRs and one unique subunit. Additionally, expressing cholesterol receptors in sugar-responsive GRNs confers attraction to cholesterol. This study reveals that flies can taste cholesterol, and that the detection depends on IRs in GRNs.

Source: eLife

DOI: 10.7554/elife.106256

Authors: Roshani Nhuchhen Pradhan, Craig Montell, Youngseok Lee

Institutions: Kookmin University, University of California, Santa Barbara

Language: English

Topic: Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,500

Funders: National Research Foundation of Korea, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders