Gustatory receptors required for sensing umbelliferone in Drosophila melanogaster

Studies of taste modality using the animal model Drosophila melanogaster have elucidated a number of uncharacterized mechanisms of sensory responses. Gustatory receptors expressed in taste organs are not only responsible for the acceptance and rejection of different foods, but are also involved in the process of selecting an oviposition site. This contact-chemosensation is essential for animals to discriminate between nutritious and contaminated foods. In this study, we characterized the function of gustatory receptors that play a dual role in feeding and oviposition using the plant metabolite umbelliferone. The combined electrophysiological and behavioral evidence demonstrated that two broadly tuned gustatory receptors, GR33a and GR66a, and one narrowly tuned gustatory receptor, GR93a, are all required to generate a functional umbelliferone receptor.