Fruitfly and alkaline taste (IMAGE)

Monell Chemical Senses Center

Fruitfly and alkaline taste

Caption

A fruit fly in the wild selects food in the form of dewdrops on a tree branch. The two colors of the food signify a difference in pH, with neutral food in golden brown and the alkaline food in blue. Mi et al. discovered a taste receptor named Alka responsible for sensing alkaline pH. Alka is a chloride channel that is directly activated by hydroxide ions (OH-), enabling avoidance of potentially harmful alkaline foods.

Credit

Yali Zhang, Monell Chemical Senses Center

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License

Public Domain

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