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Taste-independent nutrient selection is mediated by a brain-specific Na+/solute co-transporter in Drosophila

Nature Neuroscience volume 16, pages 526–528 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Animals can determine the nutritional value of sugar without the influence of taste. We examined a Drosophila mutant that is insensitive to the nutritional value of sugars, responding only to the concentration (that is, sweetness). The affected gene encodes a sodium/solute co-transporter–like protein, designated SLC5A11 (or cupcake), which is structurally similar to mammalian sodium/glucose co-transporters that transport sugar across the intestinal and renal lumen. However, SLC5A11 was prominently expressed in 10–13 pairs of R4 neurons of the ellipsoid body in the brain and functioned in these neurons for selecting appropriate foods.

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Figure 1: A prandial rise in hemolymph glycemia is required for appropriate food choice behavior in starved flies.
Figure 2: SLC5A11, a member of the Drosophila sodium/solute co-transporter family, is required for taste-independent nutrient selection.
Figure 3: A subset of ellipsoid body R4 neurons is required for taste-independent nutrient selection.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Perdigoto for assistance with gut immunohistochemistry, members of the Suh laboratory, R. Davis, S. Burden and N. Ringstad for comments on the manuscript, and the Belasco laboratory and the New York University fly community at Skirball Institute for sharing their equipment. Financial support was provided by the Hilda and Preston Davis Foundation (M.D.), Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (M.A.), the Klarman Foundation, a Hirschl/Caulier Trust award, and US National Institutes of Health RO1 grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (G.S.B.S.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Molecular Neurobiology Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Monica Dus, Minrong Ai & Greg S B Suh

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  1. Monica Dus
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  2. Minrong Ai
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  3. Greg S B Suh
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Contributions

G.S.B.S. and M.D. designed the experiments, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. M.D. performed all of the experiments except those involving PA-GFP. M.A. performed the PA-GFP experiments. G.S.B.S., M.D. and M.A. edited the manuscript. G.S.B.S. supervised the project.

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Correspondence to Greg S B Suh.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Dus, M., Ai, M. & Suh, G. Taste-independent nutrient selection is mediated by a brain-specific Na+/solute co-transporter in Drosophila. Nat Neurosci 16, 526–528 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3372

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