| Title: | Fecal-Derived Phenol Induces Egg-Laying Aversion in Drosophila |
| Author(s): | Mansourian S; Corcoran J; Enjin A; Lofstedt C; Dacke M; Stensmyr MC; |
| Address: | "Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden. Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: marcus.stensmyr@biol.lu.se" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.065 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-0445 (Electronic) 0960-9822 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Feces is an abundant, rich source of energy, utilized by a myriad of organisms, not least by members of the order Diptera, i.e., flies. How Drosophila melanogaster reacts to fecal matter remains unclear. Here, we examined oviposition behavior toward a range of fecal samples from mammals native to the putative Southeast African homeland of the fly. We show that D. melanogaster display a strong oviposition aversion toward feces from carnivorous mammals but indifference or even attraction toward herbivore dung. We identify a set of four predictor volatiles, which can be used to differentiate fecal from non-fecal matter, as well as separate carnivore from herbivore feces. Of these volatiles, phenol-indicative of carnivore feces-confers egg-laying aversion and is detected by a single class of sensory neurons expressing Or46a. The Or46a-expressing neurons are necessary and sufficient for oviposition site aversion. We further demonstrate that carnivore feces-unlike herbivore dung-contain a high rate of pathogenic bacteria taxa. These harmful bacteria produce phenol from L-tyrosine, an amino acid specifically enriched in high protein diets, such as consumed by carnivores. Finally, we demonstrate that carnivore feces, as well as phenol, is also avoided by a ball-rolling species of dung beetle, suggesting that phenol is a widespread avoidance signal because of its association with pathogenic bacteria" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Avoidance Learning Diet Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology Feces/*chemistry Female Mammals/physiology *Oviposition Phenols/*metabolism Sensory Receptor Cells/metabolism; |
| Notes: | "MedlineMansourian, Suzan Corcoran, Jacob Enjin, Anders Lofstedt, Christer Dacke, Marie Stensmyr, Marcus C eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2016/10/26 Curr Biol. 2016 Oct 24; 26(20):2762-2769. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.065. Epub 2016 Sep 15" |
