# Cold-Sensing TRP Channels and Temperature Preference Modulate Ovarian Development in the Model Organism Drosophila melanogaster

## TL;DR

This study shows that cold-sensing TRP channels and temperature preference influence ovarian development in fruit flies, affecting reproductive dormancy at low temperatures.

## Contribution

The paper provides functional evidence that cold-sensing TRP channels modulate reproductive dormancy in Drosophila.

## Key findings

- Mutations in cold-sensing TRP channels reduce reproductive dormancy at low temperatures.
- Phospholipase C signaling downstream of TRP channels is critical for cold-induced dormancy.
- Altered temperature preference affects dormancy levels, indicating a link between behavior and development.

## Abstract

Temperature is perceived primarily via transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, which are integral to the molecular machinery sensing environmental and cellular signals. Functional evidence of TRP channels’ involvement in regulating cold-induced developmental/reproductive responses remains scarce. Here, we show that mutations affecting cold-sensing TRP channels antagonize the reduction in ovarian development induced by low temperatures (reproductive dormancy) in Drosophila melanogaster. More specifically, mutants for brv1, trp, and trpl significantly lowered dormancy levels at 12 °C and exhibited well-developed oocytes characterized by advanced vitellogenesis. Similarly, functional knockouts for norpA, a gene encoding a phospholipase C acting downstream to Trp and Trpl, exhibited a reduced dormancy response, suggesting that Ca2+ signaling is key to relaying cold-sensing stimuli during dormancy induction and maintenance. Finally, mutants with an altered temperature preference (i.e., exhibiting impaired cold or warm avoidance) differentially responded to the cold, either lowering or increasing dormancy levels. In summary, our phenotypic analysis provides functional evidence of developmental/reproductive modulation by specific cold-sensing TRP channels in Drosophila melanogaster and indicates that temperature preference affects developmental processes.