Bittersweet: Amino acid taste detection in Drosophila melanogaster
Orsmond, Ian Gause, Peter Schwartz, Lauren Burdick, Megan
Orsmond, Ian
Gause, Peter
Schwartz, Lauren
Burdick, Megan
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Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster is an important model organism in studying taste. Depending on the concentration of the tastant and the receptor cells it targets, Drosophila exhibit differing behavioral responses. If appetitive, Drosophila exhibit a measurable proboscis extension response (PER). Our experiments assessed PER to an amino acid mixture in Drosophila with mutated Gr64f and Gr64a-f (sweet) and IR51b (bitter) receptors. All three mutants showed increased appetitiveness to tryptone. While this is logical for IR51b mutants, it is a surprising response for Drosophila with mutated sweet receptors (Gr64) to find tryptone (a bitter food) more appetitive.
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Undergraduate
Date
2024-01-01