Taste-independent nutrient selection is mediated by a brain-specific Na+/solute co-transporter in Drosophila

Animals can determine the nutritional value of sugar without the influence of taste. We examined a Drosophila mutant that is insensitive to the nutritional value of sugars, responding only to the concentration (that is, sweetness). The affected gene encodes a sodium/solute co-transporter-like protein, designated SLC5A11 (or cupcake), which is structurally similar to mammalian sodium/glucose co-transporters that transport sugar across the intestinal and renal lumen. However, SLC5A11 was prominently expressed in 10-13 pairs of R4 neurons of the ellipsoid body in the brain and functioned in these neurons for selecting appropriate foods.