Drosophila sensory receptors-a set of molecular Swiss Army Knives

TitleDrosophila sensory receptors-a set of molecular Swiss Army Knives
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsMontell C
JournalGenetics
Volume217
Pagination1-34
Date Published2021 Mar 03
ISSN1943-2631
Abstract

Genetic approaches in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, have led to a major triumph in the field of sensory biology-the discovery of multiple large families of sensory receptors and channels. Some of these families, such as transient receptor potential channels, are conserved from animals ranging from worms to humans, while others, such as "gustatory receptors," "olfactory receptors," and "ionotropic receptors," are restricted to invertebrates. Prior to the identification of sensory receptors in flies, it was widely assumed that these proteins function in just one modality such as vision, smell, taste, hearing, and somatosensation, which includes thermosensation, light, and noxious mechanical touch. By employing a vast combination of genetic, behavioral, electrophysiological, and other approaches in flies, a major concept to emerge is that many sensory receptors are multitaskers. The earliest example of this idea was the discovery that individual transient receptor potential channels function in multiple senses. It is now clear that multitasking is exhibited by other large receptor families including gustatory receptors, ionotropic receptors, epithelial Na+ channels (also referred to as Pickpockets), and even opsins, which were formerly thought to function exclusively as light sensors. Genetic characterizations of these Drosophila receptors and the neurons that express them also reveal the mechanisms through which flies can accurately differentiate between different stimuli even when they activate the same receptor, as well as mechanisms of adaptation, amplification, and sensory integration. The insights gleaned from studies in flies have been highly influential in directing investigations in many other animal models.

DOI10.1093/genetics/iyaa011
Alternate JournalGenetics
PubMed ID33683373