Plasticity of gene expression in the nervous system by exposure to environmental odorants that inhibit HDACs.

Eukaryotes are often exposed to microbes and respond to their secreted metabolites, such as the microbiome in animals or commensal bacteria in roots. Little is known about the effects of long-term exposure to volatile chemicals emitted by microbes, or other volatiles that we are exposed to over a long duration. Using the model system , we evaluate a yeast emitted volatile, diacetyl, found in high levels around fermenting fruits where they spend long periods of time.

Contributions of the Conserved Insect Carbon Dioxide Receptor Subunits to Odor Detection.

The CO receptor in mosquitoes is broadly tuned to detect many diverse odorants. The receptor consists of three subunits (Gr1, Gr2, and Gr3) in mosquitoes but only two subunits in Drosophila: Gr21a (Gr1 ortholog) and Gr63a (Gr3 ortholog). We demonstrate that Gr21a is required for CO responses in Drosophila, as has been shown for Gr63a.