Drosophila hygrosensation requires the TRP channels water witch and nanchung

Lei Liu, Yuhong Li, Runping Wang, Chong Yin, Qian Dong, Huey Hing, Changsoo Kim and Michael J. Welsh ()
Additional contact information
Lei Liu: Departments of Internal Medicine,
Yuhong Li: Departments of Internal Medicine,
Runping Wang: Departments of Internal Medicine,
Chong Yin: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Qian Dong: Departments of Internal Medicine,
Huey Hing: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Changsoo Kim: Hormone Research Center, School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University
Michael J. Welsh: Departments of Internal Medicine,

Nature, 2007, vol. 450, issue 7167, 294-298

Abstract: Wet and dry Since the early years of the last century, it has been known that many organisms possess the ability to detect ambient humidity. For some organisms, this ability is crucial for survival. Because their small body size makes them particularly susceptible to changes in moisture, insects are an ideal model for investigating this sense. Yet, despite much effort, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible have remained a mystery. Now, Liu et al. have discovered two Drosophila transient receptor potential channels involved in sensing humidity: water witch (wtrw) is required to detect moist air, while nanchung (nan) is required to detect dry air. Neurons expressing these channels innervate distinct sensory hairs in the fly antenna. Mechanosensation may be the sensory modality that underlies the ability to detect opposing environmental cues, while these opposing cues might allow minute changes in moisture content of the environment to be detected.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06223

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