Taurine Transporter dEAAT2 is Required for Auditory Transduction in Drosophila

Abstract

Drosophila dEAAT2, a member of the excitatory amino-acid transporter (EAAT) family, has been described as mediating the high-affinity transport of taurine, which is a free amino-acid abundant in both insects and mammals. However, the role of taurine and its transporter in hearing is not clear. Here, we report that dEAAT2 is required for the larval startle response to sound stimuli. dEAAT2 was found to be enriched in the distal region of chordotonal neurons where sound transduction occurs. The Ca imaging and electrophysiological results showed that disrupted dEAAT2 expression significantly reduced the response of chordotonal neurons to sound. More importantly, expressing dEAAT2 in the chordotonal neurons rescued these mutant phenotypes. Taken together, these findings indicate a critical role for Drosophila dEAAT2 in sound transduction by chordotonal neurons.

Axonemal Dynein DNAH5 is Required for Sound Sensation in Drosophila Larvae

“…Flies were reared at room temperature in an incubator with 12-h light/dark cycles and humidity control. Based on previous studies [18,38], we placed a 2% agar plate (100 mm) on top of a speaker and adjusted the parameters to achieve a 70-90 dB SPL (dB of Sound Pressure Level using 2 9 10 -5 Pa as a reference) pure tone (500 Hz). Third-instar larvae were gently collected, washed twice with PBS, and transferred to the agar plate.…”

“…In Vivo Ca 21 Imaging Ca 2? signals of larval Cho neurons induced by sound stimulation were recorded from third-instar larvae as previously described [18,38]. We expressed the genetically-encoded Ca 2?…”

Molecular Basis for Cephalic Mechanosensitivity of Drosophila Larvae

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