Isolation and analysis of chemosensory behavior mutants in Drosophila melanogaster.

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Abstract
A behavioral countercurrent paradigm was developed for assaying the chemotactic responses of wild-type and mutant D. melanogaster adults. Oregon R males avoid both quinine sulfate and NaCl, while Oregon R females reject the quinine salt but are attracted to NaCl when tested in this paradigm. Wild-type behavior is sufficiently reproducible to allow identification of mutants affecting chemotaxis, and 12 such mutants, in 6 complementation groups, have now been isolated. Three of the mutants respond abnormally to NaCl, 2 in one complementation group with atactic behavior (no chemotaxis) and the other, in a separate group, with a mistactic response (attraction to the stimulus). Four mutants in another group respond mistactically to quinine sulfate. Of the remaining mutants, 2 in one group behave atactically and 3, in 2 groups, respond mistactically to either chemical stimulus. Several of the mutants also show abnormal behavior in a proboscis extension assay when tested individually with sucrose solutions.