Name: foraging path-length protocol for drosophila melanogaster larvae
Uploaded: 2016-04-23T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae at JoVE.com

The authors acknowledge continued funding the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) to MBS.

1. Prepare Grape Plates and Holding Bottles for Collection of Larvae
<ol>
	<li>To make holding bottles, cut holes in one side of 6 oz fly culture bottles, large enough to fit a fly vial plug for air supply (Fig. 1D).</li>
	<li>To make grape plates, prepare 250 ml&#160;of grape juice medium (1.8% agar, 45% grape juice, 2.5% acetic acid, 2.5% ethanol) by boiling the agar, grape juice and most of the water, cool down to 70 &#186;C (stir while cooling), then add acetic acid and ethanol and bring up to volu...

<ol>
	<li>Dubnau, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Behavioral Genetics of the Fly (Drosophila melanogaster). , 173 (2014).</li><li>Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Foraging+strategies+of+Drosophila+melanogaster:+a+chromosomal+analysis.">Foraging strategies of Drosophila melanogaster: a chromosomal analysis.</a> Behav Genet. 10, 291-302 (1980).</li><li>de Belle, J. S., Hilliker, A. J., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetic+localization+of+foraging+(for):+A+major+gene+for+larval+behavior+in+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Genetic localization of foraging (for): A major gene for larval behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Genetics. 123, 157-164 (1989).</li><li>Osborne, K. A., Robichon, A., Burgess, E., Butland, S., Shaw, R. A., Coulthard, A., Pereira, H. S., Greenspan, R. J., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Natural+behavior+polymorphism+due+to+a+cGMP-dependent+protein+kinase+of+Drosophila.">Natural behavior polymorphism due to a cGMP-dependent protein kinase of Drosophila.</a> Science. 277, 834-836 (1997).</li><li>Kalderon, D., Rubin, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=cGMP-dependent+protein+kinase+genes+in+Drosophila.">cGMP-dependent protein kinase genes in Drosophila.</a> J Biol Chem. 264 (18), 10739-10748 (1989).</li><li>Reaume, C. J., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=cGMP-dependent+protein+kinase+as+a+modifier+of+behavior.">cGMP-dependent protein kinase as a modifier of behavior.</a> Handb Exp Pharmacol. 191, 423-443 (2009).</li><li>Schneider, C. A., Rasband, W. S., Eliceiri, K. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=NIH+Image+to+ImageJ:+25+years+of+image+analysis.">NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis.</a> Nat Methods. 9, 671-675 (2012).</li><li>Schindelin, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fiji:+an+open-source+platform+for+biological-image+analysis.">Fiji: an open-source platform for biological-image analysis.</a> Nat Methods. 9 (7), 676-682 (2012).</li><li>Pereira, H. S., MacDonald, D. E., Hilliker, A. J., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chaser+(Csr),+a+new+gene+affecting+larval+foraging+behavior+in+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Chaser (Csr), a new gene affecting larval foraging behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Genetics. 140, 263-270 (1995).</li><li>Shaver, S. A., Riedl, C. A. L., Parkes, T. L., Sokolowski, M. B., Hilliker, A. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+of+larval+behavioral+mutants+in+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Isolation of larval behavioral mutants in Drosophila melanogaster.</a> J Neurogenet. 14, 193-205 (2000).</li><li>Graf, S. A., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+rover/sitter+Drosophila+foraging+polymorphism+as+a+function+of+larval+development,+food+patch+quality+and+starvation.">The rover/sitter Drosophila foraging polymorphism as a function of larval development, food patch quality and starvation.</a> J Insect Behav. 2, 301-313 (1989).</li><li>Gonzalez-Candelas, F., Mensua, J. L., Moya, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Larval+competition+in+Drosophila+melanogaster:+effects+on+development+time.">Larval competition in Drosophila melanogaster: effects on development time.</a> Genetics. 82, 33-44 (1990).</li><li>Durisko, Z., Kemp, R., Mubasher, R., Dukas, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dynamics+of+social+behavior+in+fruit+fly+larvae.">Dynamics of social behavior in fruit fly larvae.</a> PLoS One. 9 (4), e95495 (2014).</li><li>Sawin, E. P., Harris, L. R., Campos, A. R., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sensorimotor+transformation+from+light+reception+to+phototactic+behavior+in+Drosophila+larvae+(Diptera:+Drosophilidae).">Sensorimotor transformation from light reception to phototactic behavior in Drosophila larvae (Diptera: Drosophilidae).</a> J Insect Behav. 7, 553-567 (1994).</li><li>de Belle, J. S., Sokolowski, M. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Heredity+of+rover/sitter:+alternative+foraging+strategies+of+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Heredity of rover/sitter: alternative foraging strategies of Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Heredity. 59, 73-83 (1987).</li><li>de Belle, J. S., Sokolowski, M. B., Hilliker, A. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetic+analysis+of+the+foraging+microregion+of+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Genetic analysis of the foraging microregion of Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Genome. 36, 94-101 (1993).</li><li>Sokolowski, M. B., Pereira, H. S., Hughes, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evolution+of+foraging+behavior+in+Drosophila+by+density+dependent+selection.">Evolution of foraging behavior in Drosophila by density dependent selection.</a> PNAS. 94, 7373-7377 (1997).</li></ol>

The path-length assay outlined here offers a robust and simple measure of foraging behavior of Drosophila larvae. The protocol follows the general methodology described in Sokolowski2, but has since been improved in regards to efficiency and experimental controls. To the best of our knowledge this method is the only available method for measuring larval path-length. The original version of the path-length protocol2, 3, 15, 16 tested larvae on Petri dishes with a thin layer of yeast paste ap...

Since the discovery of the white gene in Thomas Hunt Morgan&#39;s laboratory in 1910, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster), has been used as a model for the study of the molecular and physiological underpinnings of various biological processes. The popularity of D. melanogaster largely stems from the considerable quantity and variety of genetic tools. Drosophila&#39;s small size, relative ease of handling and short generation time render it an ideal model for genetics studies. Equally important is Drosophila&#39;s capacity to demonstrate many of the phenotypes expressed by more complex organisms including mammals. This includes complex phenotypes such as behavior that stand at the interface between the organism and its environment. As such, behavioral studies on the fruit fly have contributed substantially to our understanding of how genes and the environment mediate behavior1.
One of the first studies of D. melanogaster larval behavior investigated individual differences in larval foraging strategies by measuring the path-lengths of larvae2 while feeding. Path-length was defined as the total distance travelled by a single larva on yeast, within a five minute period. Both laboratory strains and flies from a natural population in Toronto varied in their foraging behaviors and there was a genetic component to individual differences in path-length. Two larval foraging morphs were described from the quantitative path-length distributions and they were called rover and sitter. Rovers exhibit longer path-lengths while traversing a larger area while on a food substrate than sitters. Using this path-length assay, de Belle et al.3 mapped the foraging (for) gene underlying these individual behavioral differences to a discrete location on chromosome-2 (24A3-24C5). The D. melanogaster&#160;for gene was later cloned4 and revealed to be a cGMP dependent protein kinase5, a modulator of physiology and behavior in Drosophila and other organisms6.
Here we outline the current protocol for the larval path-length assay originally developed in Sokolowski2. Although some aspects of the assay have changed over the years, the concept behind the design has not. We also provide data to illustrate the assay&#39;s potential to assess genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in the foraging behavior of Drosophila larvae. The larval path-length assay is simple, efficient, and yet robust. A single person can test up to 500 larvae with ease in four hours and results can be obtained with a high level of reproducibility. Originally developed to localize for, it can be used in genetic screens, quantitative trait locus mapping, and in studies of gene-by-environment (GxE) interactions. Moreover, its simplicity and reproducibility make it a great resource for undergraduate teaching.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="789">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:260px;">6 oz&#160; fly culture bottles&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:121px;">Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">AS355&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:271px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="25">
			<td height="25" style="height:25px;">Fly vial plugs</td>
			<td>Droso-Plugs</td>
			<td>59-201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">35X10mm Petri dishes&#160;</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>351008</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">100X15 mm Petri dishes&#160;</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>875712</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">60x15mm Petri dishes</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>25384-168&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dissecting probes</td>
			<td>Almedic</td>
			<td>2325-58-5300&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Yeast</td>
			<td>Lab Scientific</td>
			<td>FLY-8040-20F</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

foraging path-length protocol for drosophila melanogaster larvae

The Drosophila melanogaster larval path-length phenotype is an established measure used to study the genetic and environmental contributions to behavioral variation. The larval path-length assay was developed to measure individual differences in foraging behavior that were later linked to the foraging gene. Larval path-length is an easily scored trait that facilitates the collection of large sample sizes, at minimal cost, for genetic screens. Here we provide a detailed description of the current protocol for the larval path-length assay first used by Sokolowski. The protocol details how to reproducibly handle test animals, perform the behavioral assay and analyze the data. An example of how the assay can be used to measure behavioral plasticity in response to environmental change, by manipulating feeding environment prior to performing the assay, is also provided. Finally, appropriate test design as well as environmental factors that can modify larval path-length such as food quality, developmental age and day effects are discussed.

Differences in path-length of the rover and sitter for strains and the effect of food deprivation on path-length are illustrated in Fig. 3. Data collected over three consecutive days of testing showed a significant strain effect (F(1,421)&#160;= 351.89, p &#60; 2.20 x 10-16; Fig. 3A), with rovers traveling farther than sitters. In addition to the strain effect, there was also a significant food treatment effect (F(1, 42...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae at JoVE.com

Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae

We provide a detailed protocol for a Drosophila melanogaster foraging path-length assay. We discuss the preparation and handling of test animals, how to perform the assay and analyze the data.

Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae

The Drosophila melanogaster larval path-length phenotype is an established measure used to study the genetic and environmental contributions to behavioral ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Visualization of Proprioceptors in Drosophila Larvae and Pupae

Visualization of Proprioceptors in Drosophila Larvae and Pupae

Proprioception is the ability to sense the motion, or position, of body parts by responding to stimuli arising within the body. In fruitflies and other ...

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae

In the following we describe the methodological  details of appetitive associative olfactory learning in Drosophila larvae. The setup, in combination with ...

Optogenetic Stimulation of Escape Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Optogenetic Stimulation of Escape Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

A  growing number of genetically encoded tools are becoming available that allow non-invasive  manipulation of the neural activity of specific neurons in ...

A Single-fly Assay for Foraging Behavior in Drosophila

A Single-fly Assay for Foraging Behavior in Drosophila

For many animals, hunger promotes changes in the olfactory system in a manner that facilitates the search for appropriate food sources. In this video ...

Determination of the Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Determination of the Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster has been used as an excellent model organism to study environmental and genetic manipulations that affect behavior. One such ...

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster is an emerging model to study different aspects of social interactions. For example, flies avoid areas previously occupied by ...

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster

The social space assay described here can be used to quantify social interactions of Drosophila melanogaster &#8212; or other small insects &#8212; in a ...

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

High-resolution Quantification of Odor-guided Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Using the Flywalk Paradigm

In their natural environment, insects such as the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster are bombarded with a huge amount of chemically distinct odorants. To ...

A Behavioral Assay for Mechanosensation of MARCM-based Clones in Drosophila melanogaster

A Behavioral Assay for Mechanosensation of MARCM-based Clones in Drosophila melanogaster

Because of the structural and functional homology to the hair cells of the mammalian inner ear, the neurons that innervate the Drosophila external sense ...

Analyzing Synaptic Modulation of Drosophila melanogaster Photoreceptors after Exposure to Prolonged Light

Analyzing Synaptic Modulation of Drosophila melanogaster Photoreceptors after Exposure to Prolonged Light

The nervous system has the remarkable ability to adapt and respond to various stimuli. This neural adjustment is largely achieved through plasticity at ...