A Defensive Kicking Behavior in Response to Mechanical Stimuli Mediated byDrosophilaWing Margin Bristles

Abstract

Mechanosensation, one of the fastest sensory modalities, mediates diverse behaviors including those pertinent for survival. It is important to understand how mechanical stimuli trigger defensive behaviors. Here, we report that Drosophila melanogaster adult flies exhibit a kicking response against invading parasitic mites over their wing margin with ultrafast speed and high spatial precision. Mechanical stimuli that mimic the mites' movement evoke a similar kicking behavior. Further, we identified a TRPV channel, Nanchung, and a specific Nanchung-expressing neuron under each recurved bristle that forms an array along the wing margin as being essential sensory components for this behavior. Our electrophysiological recordings demonstrated that the mechanosensitivity of recurved bristles requires Nanchung and Nanchung-expressing neurons. Together, our results reveal a novel neural mechanism for innate defensive behavior through mechanosensation.

A neural circuit encoding mating states tunes defensive behavior in Drosophila

“…1a). As previously reported 12 , wild-type flies exhibited stereotyped kicking behavior against the touch on their wing margins, thus we defined this kicking behavior as the defensive response. Decapitated flies kicked as precisely and quickly as the intact flies did, so we used decapitated flies to test the defensive response in most experiments (see below).…”

“…A VNC circuit mediates defensive response in female flies. Flies exhibit a robust defensive response to physical contacts on their bodies that typically alerts them to harmful contaminations or parasitic invasions 12 . These are detected by specialized mechanosensors distributing over the body surface and usually trigger self-cleaning behaviors like grooming or defensive response such as a swift kick 12 .…”

“…Flies exhibit a robust defensive response to physical contacts on their bodies that typically alerts them to harmful contaminations or parasitic invasions 12 . These are detected by specialized mechanosensors distributing over the body surface and usually trigger self-cleaning behaviors like grooming or defensive response such as a swift kick 12 . To quantify the defensive response, we touched the mechanosensory bristles on the wing margin of decapitated flies with a fine probe and counted the kicking number out of ten touches (Fig.…”

Roles of transient receptor potential channels in eclosion and movement in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum

“…The function of the waterwitch channel is reported as originally being identified during hygrosensation with respect to sensing moist air, whereas nanchung is activated by dry air in the same study (Liu et al ., ). Nanchung plays a role in sensing extracellular osmolarity in subesophageal neurones (Jourjine et al ., ) and in the mechanosensory function of the sensory cells in the wing margins, leading to a defensive kicking behaviour (Li et al ., ). Therefore, multimodal functional properties of TRP channels appear to be common in different types of neuronal cells and in association with other proteins.…”

Molecular cloning and characterization of TRPVs in two rice pests: Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) and Nephotettix cincticeps (Uhler)

“…In addition, they have different functions when expressed separately in different tissues. Nan functions as an osmoreceptor to restrict water consumption in the subesophageal zone region, perceives food texture in the labellar mechanosensory neurons, and acts as a mechanical monitor to regulate innate defensive behaviors against mites under each recurved bristle along the Drosophila wing margin . Iav is involved in selecting the preferred over slightly cooler temperatures to form repulsive behaviors in the chordotonal neurons of Drosophila larvae .…”