RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Reduced Odor Responses from Antennal Neurons of G<sub>q</sub>α, Phospholipase Cβ, and <em>rdgA</em> Mutants in <em>Drosophila</em> Support a Role for a Phospholipid Intermediate in Insect Olfactory Transduction
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 4745
OP 4755
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5306-07.2008
VO 28
IS 18
A1 Pinky Kain
A1 Tuhin Subra Chakraborty
A1 Susinder Sundaram
A1 Obaid Siddiqi
A1 Veronica Rodrigues
A1 Gaiti Hasan
YR 2008
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/28/18/4745.abstract
AB Mechanisms by which G-protein-coupled odorant receptors transduce information in insects still need elucidation. We show that mutations in the Drosophila gene for Gqα (dgq) significantly reduce both the amplitude of the field potentials recorded from the whole antenna in responses to odorants as well as the frequency of evoked responses of individual sensory neurons. This requirement for Gqα is for adult function and not during antennal development. Conversely, brief expression of a dominant-active form of Gqα in adults leads to enhanced odor responses. To understand signaling downstream of Gqα in olfactory sensory neurons, genetic interactions of dgq were tested with mutants in genes known to affect phospholipid signaling. dgq mutant phenotypes were further enhanced by mutants in a PLCβ (phospholipase Cβ) gene, plc21C. Interestingly although, the olfactory phenotype of mutant alleles of diacylglycerol kinase (rdgA) was rescued by dgq mutant alleles. Our results suggest that Gqα-mediated olfactory transduction in Drosophila requires a phospholipid second messenger the levels of which are regulated by a cycle of phosphatidylinositol 1,4-bisphosphate breakdown and regeneration.