An α-1,3-fucosyltransferase influences thermal nocifensive escape behaviors in Drosophila larvae

TL;DR

A gene encoding an α-1,3-fucosyltransferase affects how fruit fly larvae respond to painful heat.

Contribution

The study identifies a specific gene linked to thermal pain response in fruit fly larvae.

Findings

A mutation in the FucTA gene alters thermal escape behaviors in Drosophila larvae.

Fucosylation appears to be important for thermal nociception in larvae.

Abstract

When exposed to noxious thermal or mechanical stimuli,
Drosophila melanogaster
larvae will attempt to escape by performing a stereotypical nocifensive rolling behavior. Here, we report the identification of a mutation in
Drosophila
that specifically alters the thermal nocifensive escape behaviors of larvae. We provide genetic, molecular, and histological evidence that this mutation maps to the

FucTA

gene, which encodes an α−1,3-fucosyltransferase. Our results suggest that fucosylation is important for the thermal nociception rolling behavior of
Drosophila
larvae.

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