The prandial process in flies

Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2019 Dec:36:157-166. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2019.09.004. Epub 2019 Nov 6.

Abstract

Feeding is fundamental to any heterotroph organism; in its role to quell hunger it overrides most other motivational states. But feeding also literally opens the door to harmful risks, especially for a saprophagous animal like Drosophila; ingestion of poisonous substrate can lead to irreversible damage. Thus feeding incorporates a series of steps with several checkpoints to guarantee that the ingestion remains beneficial and provides a balanced diet, or the feeding process is interrupted. Subsequently, we will summarize and describe the feeding process in Drosophila in a comprehensive manner. We propose eleven distinct steps for feeding, grouped into four categories, to address our current knowledge of prandial regulatory mechanisms in Drosophila.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Drosophila / anatomy & histology
  • Drosophila / physiology*
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Smell / physiology
  • Taste / physiology