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Olfactory channels associated with the Drosophila maxillary palp mediate short-and long-range attraction

Research Authors
Hany KM Dweck, Shimaa AM Ebrahim, Mohammed A Khallaf, Christopher Koenig, Abu Farhan, Regina Stieber, Jerrit Weißflog, Aleš Svatoš, Ewald Grosse-Wilde, Markus Knaden, Bill S Hansson
Research Abstract

The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster is equipped with two peripheral olfactory organs, antenna and maxillary palp. The antenna is involved in finding food, oviposition sites and mates. However, the functional significance of the maxillary palp remained unknown. Here, we screened the olfactory sensory neurons of the maxillary palp (MP-OSNs) using a large number of natural odor extracts to identify novel ligands for each MP-OSN type. We found that each type is the sole or the primary detector for a specific compound, and detects these compounds with high sensitivity. We next dissected the contribution of MP-OSNs to behaviors evoked by their key ligands and found that MP-OSNs mediate short- and long-range attraction. Furthermore, the organization, detection and olfactory receptor (Or) genes of MP-OSNs are conserved in the agricultural pest D. suzukii. The novel short and long-range attractants could potentially be used in integrated pest management (IPM) programs of this pest species.

Research Department
Research Journal
Elife
Research Member
Research Publisher
eLife Sciences Publications Limited
Research Rank
1
Research Vol
5
Research Website
https://elifesciences.org/articles/14925
Research Year
2016
Research Pages
e14925