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Curr Biol

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"
Journal Title:		Curr Biol
Year:		2016
Volume:		20160915
Issue:		20
Page Number:		2762 - 2769
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"