Five canonical tastes, bitter, sweet, umami (amino acid), salty, and sour (acid), are detected
by animals as diverse as fruit flies and humans, consistent with a near-universal drive to …

▪ Abstract Insect odor and taste receptors are highly sensitive detectors of food, mates, and
oviposition sites. Following the identification of the first insect odor and taste receptors in …

The extent of diversity among bitter-sensing neurons is a fundamental issue in the field of
taste. Data are limited and conflicting as to whether bitter neurons are broadly tuned and …

We have analyzed the molecular basis of sugar reception in Drosophila. We define the
response spectrum, concentration dependence, and temporal dynamics of sugar-sensing …

Identification of nutritious compounds is dependent on expression of specific taste receptors
in appropriate taste-cell types [1]. In contrast to mammals, which rely on a single, broadly …

Salt taste, the taste of sodium chloride (NaCl), is mechanistically one of the most complex
and puzzling among basic tastes. Sodium has essential functions in the body but causes …

Drosophila taste compounds with gustatory neurons on many parts of the body, suggesting
that a fly detects both the location and quality of a food source. For example, activation of …

Insects such as the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, rely on contact chemosensation to
detect nutrient-rich foods, to avoid consuming toxic chemicals, and to select mates and …

Recent studies find that sugar tastes less intense to humans with obesity, but whether this
sensory change is a cause or a consequence of obesity is unclear. To tackle this question …

Background: Discrimination between edible and contaminated foods is crucial for the
survival of animals. In Drosophila, a family of gustatory receptors (GRs) expressed in taste …