Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster

As the early step of food ingestion, the swallow is under rigorous sensorimotor control. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying swallow control at a molecular and circuitry level remain largely unknown. Here, we find that mutation of the mechanotransduction channel genes nompC, Tmc, or piezo impair...

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Main Authors: Jierui Qin, Tingting Yang, Kexin Li, Ting Liu, Wei Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2024-12-01
Series:eLife
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Online Access:https://elifesciences.org/articles/88614
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author Jierui Qin
Tingting Yang
Kexin Li
Ting Liu
Wei Zhang
author_facet Jierui Qin
Tingting Yang
Kexin Li
Ting Liu
Wei Zhang
author_sort Jierui Qin
collection DOAJ
description As the early step of food ingestion, the swallow is under rigorous sensorimotor control. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying swallow control at a molecular and circuitry level remain largely unknown. Here, we find that mutation of the mechanotransduction channel genes nompC, Tmc, or piezo impairs the regular pumping rhythm of the cibarium during feeding of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. A group of multi-dendritic mechanosensory neurons, which co-express the three channels, wrap the cibarium and are crucial for coordinating the filling and emptying of the cibarium. Inhibition of them causes difficulty in food emptying in the cibarium, while their activation leads to difficulty in cibarium filling. Synaptic and functional connections are detected between the pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons and the motor circuit that controls swallow. This study elucidates the role of mechanosensation in swallow, and provides insights for a better understanding of the neural basis of food swallow.
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spelling doaj-art-06d0fc51ab6e4df2a838011b83f0f8472025-08-20T02:36:41ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2024-12-011210.7554/eLife.88614Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogasterJierui Qin0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8197-1715Tingting Yang1Kexin Li2Ting Liu3Wei Zhang4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0512-3096School of Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, ChinaTsinghua-Peking Center for Life Science, Beijing, ChinaAs the early step of food ingestion, the swallow is under rigorous sensorimotor control. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying swallow control at a molecular and circuitry level remain largely unknown. Here, we find that mutation of the mechanotransduction channel genes nompC, Tmc, or piezo impairs the regular pumping rhythm of the cibarium during feeding of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. A group of multi-dendritic mechanosensory neurons, which co-express the three channels, wrap the cibarium and are crucial for coordinating the filling and emptying of the cibarium. Inhibition of them causes difficulty in food emptying in the cibarium, while their activation leads to difficulty in cibarium filling. Synaptic and functional connections are detected between the pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons and the motor circuit that controls swallow. This study elucidates the role of mechanosensation in swallow, and provides insights for a better understanding of the neural basis of food swallow.https://elifesciences.org/articles/88614feedingmechanosensationswallowDrosophila
spellingShingle Jierui Qin
Tingting Yang
Kexin Li
Ting Liu
Wei Zhang
Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster
eLife
feeding
mechanosensation
swallow
Drosophila
title Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster
title_full Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster
title_fullStr Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster
title_full_unstemmed Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster
title_short Pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in Drosophila melanogaster
title_sort pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons control food swallow in drosophila melanogaster
topic feeding
mechanosensation
swallow
Drosophila
url https://elifesciences.org/articles/88614
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AT tingtingyang pharyngealmechanosensoryneuronscontrolfoodswallowindrosophilamelanogaster
AT kexinli pharyngealmechanosensoryneuronscontrolfoodswallowindrosophilamelanogaster
AT tingliu pharyngealmechanosensoryneuronscontrolfoodswallowindrosophilamelanogaster
AT weizhang pharyngealmechanosensoryneuronscontrolfoodswallowindrosophilamelanogaster