Olfactory adaptation in Drosophila larvae

To accommodate both high sensitivity as well as the ability to respond to a broad range of stimulus concentrations, an organism must possess some means of modulating the gain of its sensory systems. This phenomenon is known as adaptation. Here, we demonstrate that Drosophila larvae can adapt to three odorants in a behavioral paradigm. Larval olfactory adaptation is concentration- and dose-dependent. Olfactory and visual adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster adults is dependent on the transient receptor potential (trp) calcium channel. Recovery from olfactory adaptation, which is TRP-dependent in adults, is shown to be unaffected by a loss-of-function trp mutation in larvae. Moreover, the TRP gene product is not expressed in the larval olfactory organs. These observations suggest a role for trp in mediating sensory function that is conserved between sensory modalities in adults but is not conserved between developmental stages.