Name: the capillary feeder assay measures food intake in drosophila melanogaster
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Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster at JoVE.com

We thank the past and present members of the Scholz lab for discussion and Helga D&#246;ring for excellent technical support. We especially thank the members of the Biocenter workshop of the University of Cologne for their support and creativity. The work is supported by SFB 1340, SysMedAlc, and DAAD-Siemens.

1. The CAFE Assay
NOTE: The assay consists of three components: an experimental vial, a specific lid and micro- capillaries. A plastic box with cover is used to transport the prepared vials and to control the humidity more efficiently.
<ol>
	<li>Use a Drosophila melanogaster culture plastic vial (optional 8 cm height, 3.3 cm diameter) as a tube for the assay.</li>
	<li>Seal the vial with a manufactured Plexiglas lid containing an O-ring (Figures 1A, 1B). Load flies by tapping or with a blowpipe through the lid&#39;s central opening (0.9 cm diameter), which also allows for air circulation and water supply, and close the hole with a sponge bung. Six smaller conical openings (0.4 cm upper diameter, 0.3 cm inner diameter) surround the central hole and fit the pipette tips of 2 - 20 &#181;L volume to hold the capillaries in place. (see supplementary figures for technical details of the lid.) 
	NOTE: The use of a sponge stopper with openings for the capillaries instead of the custom-made lid used in our manuscript is possible. Our customized lid allows safe handling of the prepared vials minimizing the risk of capillaries falling down.</li>
	<li>To present the liquid food, use 5 &#181;L microcapillaries with 1 &#181;L marks. Position the capillaries in the conical openings in the lid by cutting off the top of a 2 - 20 &#181;L pipette tip and inserting the tip into the hole (Figure 1B, marked with red edge). To prevent flies from escaping, insert an uncut 2 - 20 &#181;L pipette tip into the same opening.</li>
	<li>To safely handle multiple prepared vials, place them into a plastic box with a gridded inlay (Figure 2A).</li>
</ol>
2. Preparation of Flies
<ol>
	<li>Keep flies on standard food at 25 &#176;C, 60% relative humidity and a 12 h/12 h light-dark cycle.</li>
	<li>To control breeding conditions, introduce 35 virgin females and 15 males for each experimental group into a plastic culture vial (9.8 cm height, 4.8 cm diameter) containing 50 mL fly food. Allow flies to lay eggs for the first 3 days, then transfer adult flies to fresh food vials and let them lay eggs for two more days. After this repeat the transfer again. Discard adult flies after 2 more days.</li>
	<li>As food intake is dependent on fly size, determine the weight of a group of 100 flies by anesthetizing 2- to 3-day-old adult flies using a CO2 fly pad and collect them into a 1.5 mL plastic tube and measuring with a standard laboratory scale. Determine the wet weight of at least four independent fly groups sorted by sex (Table 1); use the weight to calculate &#181;L food consumption per mg fly. Use the value to determine the amount of food that a single fly feeds per experiment and adjust the number of food-filled capillaries accordingly to avoid emptying of the capillaries by feeding.
	<ol>
		<li>For a 3 h assay, use 20 flies and two filled capillaries. For a long-term experiment (&#62; 3 h and up to 9 days), use a group of eight flies with a supply of four filled capillaries (reliable results cannot be obtained with less than eight flies under the described conditions).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Separate flies into groups (8 or 20 flies) after measuring weight under CO2 exposure. Transfer the group to a new food vial (containing 15 mL standard food) to allow recovery from CO2 sedation for 48 h prior to the experiment. Use 4- to 6-day-old flies for the CAFE assay.</li>
	<li>As non-starved wild-type flies feed only marginally19, 21, pre-starve flies for 3 h feeding experiments. No fasting is required when food consumption is monitored over several days. For fasting, transfer flies 16 to 20 h prior to testing by gently tapping them into a vial containing only a 45-mm diameter folded filter paper moistened with ~0.5 mL ddH2O (double-distilled water), and close with a plugged CAFE assay lid.</li>
</ol>
3. Preparation of Liquid Food
<ol>
	<li>Prepare a 3 M (10%, w/v) sucrose stock solution by filling 102.6 g sucrose (C12H22O11) to 100 mL ddH2O. Pipette 3 &#181;L, 33 &#181;L, 333 &#181;L, 3.3 mL and 6.6 mL of the stock solution into a 15 mL plastic tube; add 2 mL of food color (for red: Cochineal [E124]; for blue: Indigo carmine [E132]) and fill to 10 mL with ddH2O. The resulting concentrations are 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 2 M sucrose. 
	NOTE: The food dye allows visualizing the meniscus more easily. However the dye might have an impact on the food intake. To avoid a bias due to the dye dispense the food dye or randomized the usage of dyes to the food samples during the experiment and groups.</li>
	<li>To test for alcohol preference pipette 333 &#181;L of the 3 M sucrose stock solution in a 15 mL plastic tube. Add 1.5 mL (2.3 mL) of 100% EtOH (ethanol) and add ddH2O up to 10 mL to result in 15% (0.25 mM) and a 23% (0.39 mM) working solutions.</li>
	<li>Keep stock solutions at -20 &#176;C and working solutions at 4 &#176;C; use within 1 week.</li>
	<li>Fill up to 10 capillaries at the same time with a colored food solution, by capillary force. Insert the ends of the capillaries into the sucrose solution (holding the capillaries at a 45&#176; angle to the solution). Stop if the liquid reaches the top (5 &#181;L) mark of the capillary, and remove excess solution on the outside and inside with tissue paper.</li>
</ol>
4. Assembly and Performing the CApillary FEeder Assay
<ol>
	<li>If fasting is not needed, transfer the experimental flies to the assay by tapping or by blow-pipe. Make sure to include three control vials without flies to quantify evaporation.</li>
	<li>Carefully remove a pipette tip (2 - 20 &#181;L volume) that is closing one of the outer openings, and insert a filled glass capillary, bottom-end first. Secure the capillary by placing the pipette tip back next to the capillary. If several food solutions are being tested, repeat this procedure accordingly.</li>
	<li>Place the capillary ends inside all vials at the same level to avoid bias that could occur if the food sources were located at different heights (3 - 4 cm from the lid); keep a distance to the filter paper to prevent the capillary from leaking by accidently touching the filter paper or different viscosities of food sources.</li>
	<li>Label the upper end of the colored liquid using a marker pen (markbeginning). To ensure the different capillaries can be identified, label them individually using a color or stripe code.</li>
	<li>Place multiple prepared CAFE assays inside a plastic box with gridded inlay and transfer the box (Figure 2A) to a secure position under laboratory conditions or in a temperature-, light- and humidity-controlled climate chamber (parameters: 25 &#176;C, 60% relative humidity, 12 h/12 h light-dark cycle) for the experimental period (e.g. 3 h or days).</li>
	<li>As bottom filter paper dries out if the assay is performed over several days, apply fresh water every 24 h via the sponge bung (100 &#181;L) to keep humidity constant inside the assay. Use four separate vials (8 cm height, 3.3 cm diameter) filled with 30 mL ddH2O as humidity devices and place them next to the CAFE assays in the plastic box. Use a cover for the plastic box to create humidity controlled environment during the experiment (Figure 2A). 
	NOTE: Broader variability occurs under laboratory conditions; however, it is feasible to perform the CAFE assay at room temperature (e.g., in a classroom). The use of a humidification device (filter paper, with or without a wet sponge bung, filled water vials and cover for the plastic box) is highly encouraged to decrease evaporation (Figure 2B).</li>
	<li>Replace the capillaries with freshly filled ones for long term experiments every 24 h. Make note of dead flies before each 24 h interval and use the number of live flies to calculate consumption per fly for the following period. Discard the old capillaries after measuring the decline of the meniscus (see 5.1). 
	NOTE: During a 3 h experiment we hardly see any dead flies. During a 4 days study we usually find 1 - 3 dead flies.</li>
	<li>At the end of the assay or before replacing the capillary, mark the lower meniscus of the capillary (markend) with a marker pen while the CAFE assay is still in the upright position. Discard the data if markend is not below the initial mark (markbeginning). Do not remove the lid, as this might change the meniscus.</li>
	<li>Carefully remove the capillaries from the assay and store them for data collection. Check if the liquid inside the capillary reached the lower end if not discard the data, as food was not accessible to the flies. Collect all capillaries per vial as a group. Insert uncut pipette tips into all openings to prevent flies from escaping. Dismantle the setup and wash the vials, lids and sponge bungs in a soap bath and dry overnight at room temperature for further use. 
	NOTE: Flies can be further analyzed after the assay. Confirm food uptake by eye or under a dissection microscope.</li>
	<li>Repeat experiments with the same genotypes on at least three different days.</li>
</ol>
5. Data Collection and Analysis
<ol>
	<li>Measure the distance between markbeginning and markend on the capillary using a caliper or a ruler. To transfer data directly to a spreadsheet, use a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connected digital caliper (Figure 1E). Discard the capillaries after the measurement.</li>
	<li>Account for capillary size to calculate food uptake or evaporation. For example, consider a capillary that is 73 mm long and contains 5 &#181;L of food solution. A 14.6 mm decrease in the meniscus reflects the uptake of 1 &#181;L solution. Calculate food uptake using the following formula: 
	Food uptake (&#181;L) = measured distance (mm)/ 14.6 mm</li>
	<li>To exclude the effect of evaporation on food intake, calculate mean evaporation in the three (at minimum) control vials without flies. Subtract this mean value from the value obtained for food consumption by the flies.</li>
	<li>Use the following formula to determine total consumption per fly: 
	Food consumption (&#181;L) = (Food uptake [&#181;L] - Evaporative loss [&#181;L])/total number of flies in the vial. For long-term experiments use the number of flies alive before the start of the 24 h interval.</li>
	<li>To account for differences in body size, such as between male and female flies, normalize food consumption to body weight (&#181;L food/mg fly).</li>
	<li>Use statistical software for data analysis. For normally distributed data, use student&#39;s T-tests to determine differences between two fly groups, and use ANOVA (analysis of variance) with post hoc Tukey Cramer tests for more than two groups. In a choice situation, analyze differences from random choice using a nonparametric one-sample sign test.</li>
</ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

The report describes the CAFE assay in a step-by-step fashion, focusing on the technical setup and its successful performance in the laboratory. Due to its simplicity, this assay could also be used educationally as a school experiment. The examples show that the assay allows investigation of food sensing, preference and consumption in Drosophila melanogaster over short and longer time periods (hours to days). The CAFE assay has been used widely in the field to investigate subjects including food and drug consump...

Eating is essential; however, deregulation of food intake resulting in eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia or the general tendency to overeat imposes costs on individuals and society1,2,3. The goal of the present research is to uncover regulatory mechanisms of food intake and to provide a strategy for circumventing disorder formation. Numerous studies using mammalian model organisms have provided new insights of the circuitry and the role of signaling systems in eating disorders4,5,6. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the neuronal and molecular bases underlying these disorders remains far from complete. In recent years, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has become a valuable model system for unraveling basic mechanistic insights into the regulation of metabolism7,8,9. The CApillary FEeder (CAFE) assay for Drosophila melanogaster was established in the lab of Seymour Benzer in 2007 inspired by an earlier work by Dethier in blowfly10, 11. The CAFE assay made it possible to directly measure food intake in Drosophila melanogaster. In this behavioral test system, flies feed on liquid food provided in graded glass capillaries placed inside a vial. The decline of the capillary meniscus indicates loss of food solution via evaporation and food consumption. Determining the evaporation rate by vials without flies allows the accurate quantification of food intake.
The CAFE assay is one of several behavioral paradigms used to measure feeding in Drosophila melanogaster and researchers have to choose the most appropriate one for their specific question. The decision to use a certain assay should consider the following points: the nature of the food provided; the feeding condition; the measurement of intake or uptake of nutrients and investigation food consumption or response to food.
The CAFE assay as described in this report is ideal for following food intake of a liquid food source under an upright feeding condition. Alternatively the food intake can be measured for a fly group on a colored food source in a vial or on a plate. Flies are normally killed or anesthetized after feeding and the amount of ingested dye is determined by spectrometry or visual inspection of the stained abdomen. Flies start to excrete the ingested food only 30 min after intake, therefore this approach is difficult to use for the analysis of continuous longer feeding behaviors12, 13.
In contrast flies are kept intact when absorbable dyes with radioactive tracers are used and their consumption of radioisotope is scored in a scintillation counter14, 15. Absorption of the radiolabel by the fly digestive system makes long-term food uptake measurement possible, but might lead to underestimation of consumption because of non-absorbed and excreted tracer molecules. Another approach to measure response to food in Drosophila melanogaster is the proboscis extension response (PER), which normally occurs for food intake16. This elegant method measures the initial response to a food stimulus but does not record the quantity of intake. Food intake is dynamically adjusted during feeding using several post-digestive feedback signals that are critical for the regulation of feeding17, 18. Several attempts have been made in recent years to semi-automate data collection in the PER assay19, 20. The PER is detected by an electric pad or a combination of electrodes and counted via computer. Combining the PER assay with radioisotope uptake revealed that this assay is limited by low sensitivity to detecting quantity feeding differences18. The manual feeding assay (MAFE)21, in which a fly is fed manually with a glass capillary, was recently developed to measure food uptake in a single immobilized fly. The MAFE assay eliminates the interferences of foraging and feeding initiation and has a time resolution of seconds, and initiation of PER and food consumption can be monitored independently in the assay. However, the way in which immobilization of the fly affects certain aspects of feeding behavior (e.g. locomotion, motivation) still needs to be investigated. For excellent comparative reviews of different assays for measuring food consumption in Drosophila melanogaster and to help researchers finding the most appropriate one, see reports by Deshpande and Marx 13, 22.
The CAFE assay avoids some of the disadvantages of other assays described above and combines simplicity of use with reliable measurement of food intake. Here, a detailed description of the CAFE assay is provided and we show a simple setup modification to reduce evaporation. Representative results including a two food choice assay (short and long term) and the sucrose uptake of flies is demonstrated. In the discussion we compare our described method with alternative ways to perform the CAFE assay, and highlight potential limitations.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Vials (breeding)</td><td>Greiner Bio-One</td><td>960177</td><td>www.greinerbioone.com</td></tr><tr><td>Vials (CAFE assay)</td><td>Greiner Bio-One</td><td>217101</td><td>www.greinerbioone.com</td></tr><tr><td>Lid-CAFE assay</td><td>Workshop</td><td>&amp;ndash;</td><td>&amp;ndash;</td></tr><tr><td>Plastic box, low wall</td><td>Plastime</td><td>353</td><td>www.plastime.it</td></tr><tr><td>Cover for the plastic box</td><td>Workshop</td><td>&amp;ndash;</td><td>&amp;ndash;</td></tr><tr><td>Capillaries</td><td>BLAUBRAND&amp;nbsp;</td><td>REF 7087 07</td><td>www.brand.de</td></tr><tr><td>Pipette tips</td><td>Greiner Bio-One</td><td>771290</td><td>www.greinerbioone.com</td></tr><tr><td>Filter paper circles</td><td>Whatman</td><td>10 311 804</td><td>www.sigmaaldrich.com</td></tr><tr><td>D(+)-Sucrose</td><td>AppliChem</td><td>57-50-1</td><td>www.applichem.com</td></tr><tr><td>Ethanol absolute</td><td>VWR Chemicals</td><td>20,821,330</td><td>www.vwr.com</td></tr><tr><td>Food color (red, E124)</td><td>Backfun</td><td>10027</td><td>www.backfun.de</td></tr><tr><td>Food color (blue, E133)</td><td>Backfun</td><td>10030</td><td>www.backfun.de</td></tr><tr><td>Soap solution (CVK 8)</td><td>CVH</td><td>103220</td><td>www.cvh.de</td></tr><tr><td>Digital caliper</td><td>GARANT</td><td>412,616</td><td>www.hoffmann-group.com</td></tr><tr><td>Vials (breeding)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Height 9.8 cm, diameter 4.8 cm&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Vials (CAFE assay)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Height 8 cm, diameter 3.3 cm</td></tr><tr><td>Lid-CAFE assay</td><td></td><td></td><td>Produced in university workshop, technical drawing supplied&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/55024/Diegelmann-Cafe-Lid-technical-drawing.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Please click here to download this file.&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Plastic box, low wall</td><td></td><td></td><td>A plastic grid inlay was custom-made for 8 x 10 vial positions&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Cover for the plastic box</td><td></td><td></td><td>Dimensions (37 x 29 x 18 cm)</td></tr><tr><td>Capillaries</td><td></td><td></td><td>DIN ISO 7550 norm,&amp;nbsp; IVD-guideline 98/79 EG, ends polished</td></tr><tr><td>Pipette tips</td><td></td><td></td><td>Pipettes for the outer circle are cut according to the lid</td></tr><tr><td>Filter paper circles</td><td></td><td></td><td>45 mm diameter works nicely if folded for the vials used</td></tr><tr><td>D(+)-Sucrose</td><td></td><td></td><td>Not harmful</td></tr><tr><td>Ethanol absolute</td><td></td><td></td><td>Highly flammable liquid and vapor</td></tr><tr><td>Food color (red, E124)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Not stated</td></tr><tr><td>Food color (blue, E133)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Not stated</td></tr><tr><td>Soap solution (CVK 8)</td><td></td><td></td><td>Odor neutral soap</td></tr><tr><td>Digital caliper</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Standard fly food</td><td></td><td></td><td>(for 20 L)</td></tr><tr><td>Agar</td><td></td><td></td><td>160 g</td></tr><tr><td>Brewer&#039;s Yeast</td><td></td><td></td><td>299.33 g</td></tr><tr><td>Cornmeal</td><td></td><td></td><td>1,200 g</td></tr><tr><td>Molasses</td><td></td><td></td><td>1.6 L</td></tr><tr><td>Propionic acid</td><td></td><td></td><td>57.3 mL</td></tr><tr><td>Nipagin 30%</td><td></td><td></td><td>160 mL</td></tr></tbody></table>

the capillary feeder assay measures food intake in drosophila melanogaster

For most animals, feeding is an essential behavior for securing survival, and it influences development, locomotion, health and reproduction. Ingestion of the right type and quantity of food therefore has a major influence on quality of life. Research on feeding behavior focuses on the underlying processes that ensure actual feeding and unravels the role of factors regulating internal energy homeostasis and the neuronal bases of decision-making. The model organism Drosophila melanogaster, with its great variety of genetically traceable tools for labeling and manipulating single neurons, allows mapping of neuronal networks and identification of molecular signaling cascades involved in the regulation of food intake. This report demonstrates the CApillary FEeder assay (CAFE) and shows how to measure food intake in a group of flies for time spans ranging from hours to days. This easy-to-use assay consists of glass capillaries filled with liquid food that flies can freely access and feed on. Food consumption in the assay is accurately determined using simple measurement tools. Herein we describe step-by-step the method from setup to successful execution of the CAFE assay, and provide practical examples to analyze the food intake of a group of flies under controlled conditions. The reader is guided through possible limitations of the assay, and advantages and disadvantages of the method compared to other feeding assays in D. melanogaster are evaluated.

Flies of the w1118 genotype are used to demonstrate how the assay is performed. The w1118 mutants are commonly used to generate transgenic lines and to control the genetic background of transgenes marked with the white gene. Normally, for behavioral experiments, all transgenic lines are backcrossed for five generations to the same w1118 stock, which is used as an experimental control. We show different experiments: a com...

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The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster

The CApillary FEeder (CAFE) assay is a simple, budget-friendly, highly reliable method for investigating mechanisms underlying food intake. Used with the highly versatile genetic model organism Drosophila melanogaster, it provides a powerful means of gaining new insights into regulatory mechanisms of food intake.

The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster

For most animals, feeding is an essential behavior for securing survival, and it influences development, locomotion, health and reproduction. Ingestion of ...

the-capillary-feeder-assay-measures-food-intake-drosophila

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

18.6K Views.  Albertus-Magnus University of Cologne. The CApillary FEeder (CAFE) assay is a simple, budget-friendly, highly reliable method for investigating mechanisms underlying food intake. Used with the highly versatile genetic model organism Drosophila melanogaster, it provides a powerful means of gaining new insights into regulatory mechanisms of food intake.

Video: The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster

Single Sensillum Recordings in the Insects Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae

The sense of smell is essential for insects to find foods, mates, predators, and oviposition sites3. Insect olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) are enclosed in sensory hairs called sensilla, which cover the surface of olfactory organs. The surface of each sensillum is covered with tiny pores, through which odorants pass and dissolve in a fluid called sensillum lymph, which bathes the sensory dendrites of the OSNs housed in a given sensillum. The OSN dendrites express odorant receptor (OR) proteins, which in insects function as odor-gated ion channels4, 5. The interaction of odorants with ORs either increases or decreases the basal firing rate of the OSN. This neuronal activity in the form of action potentials embodies the first representation of the quality, intensity, and temporal characteristics of the odorant6, 7.
Given the easy access to these sensory hairs, it is possible to perform extracellular recordings from single OSNs by introducing a recording electrode into the sensillum lymph, while the reference electrode is placed in the lymph of the eye or body of the insect. In Drosophila, sensilla house between one and four OSNs, but each OSN typically displays a characteristic spike amplitude. Spike sorting techniques make it possible to assign spiking responses to individual OSNs. This single sensillum recording (SSR) technique monitors the difference in potential between the sensillum lymph and the reference electrode as electrical spikes that are generated by the receptor activity on OSNs1, 2, 8. Changes in the number of spikes in response to the odorant represent the cellular basis of odor coding in insects. Here, we describe the preparation method currently used in our lab to perform SSR on Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae, and show representative traces induced by the odorants in a sensillum-specific manner.

Single Sensillum Recordings in the Insects Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae

Electrophysiological responses of olfactory sensory neurons to odorants can be measured in insects using single sensillum recordings. In this video article we will demonstrate how to perform single sensillum recordings in the antennae of the vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the maxillary palps of the malaria mosquito (Anopheles gambiae).

The sense of smell is essential for insects to find foods, mates, predators, and oviposition sites3. Insect olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) are enclosed ...

Combining Quantitative Food-intake Assays and Forcibly Activating Neurons to Study Appetite in Drosophila

Food consumption is under the tight control of the brain, which integrates the physiological status, palatability, and nutritional contents of the food, and issues commands to start or stop feeding. Deciphering the processes underlying the decision-making of timely and moderate feeding carries major implications in our understanding of physiological and psychological disorders related to feeding control. Simple, quantitative, and robust methods are required to measure the food ingestion of animals after experimental manipulation, such as forcibly increasing the activities of certain target neurons. Here, we introduced dye-labeling-based feeding assays to facilitate the neurogenetic study of feeding control in adult fruit flies. We review available feeding assays, and then describe our methods step-by-step from setup to analysis, which combine thermogenetic and optogenetic manipulation of neurons controlling feeding motivation with dye-labeled food intake assay. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of our methods, compared with other feeding assays, to help readers choose an appropriate assay.

Combining Quantitative Food-intake Assays and Forcibly Activating Neurons to Study Appetite in Drosophila

Quantitative food-intake assays with dyed food provide a robust and high-throughput means to evaluate feeding motivation. Combining the food consumption assay with thermogenetic and optogenetic screens is a powerful approach to investigate the neural circuits underlying appetite in adult Drosophila melanogaster.

Food consumption is under the tight control of the brain, which integrates the physiological status, palatability, and nutritional contents of the food, ...

Behavior

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 article, we describe an automated assay to measure the effect of hunger or satiety on olfactory dependent food search behavior in the adult fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In a light-tight box illuminated by red light that is invisible to fruit flies, a camera linked to custom data acquisition software monitors the position of six flies simultaneously. Each fly is confined to walk in individual arenas containing a food odor at the center. The testing arenas rest on a porous floor that functions to prevent odor accumulation. Latency to locate the odor source, a metric that reflects olfactory sensitivity under different physiological states, is determined by software analysis. Here, we discuss the critical mechanics of running this behavioral paradigm and cover specific issues regarding fly loading, odor contamination, assay temperature, data quality, and statistical analysis.

A Single-fly Assay for Foraging Behavior in Drosophila

In this video article, we describe an automated assay to measure the effect of hunger or satiety on olfactory dependent food search behavior in the adult fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

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

A High Throughput Microplate Feeder Assay for Quantification of Consumption in Drosophila

Quantifying food intake in Drosophila is used to study the genetic and physiological underpinnings of consumption-associated traits, their environmental factors, and the toxicological and pharmacological effects of numerous substances. Few methods currently implemented are amenable to high throughput measurement. The Microplate Feeder Assay (MFA) was developed for quantifying the consumption of liquid food for individual flies using absorbance. In this assay, flies consume liquid food medium from select wells of a 1536-well microplate. By incorporating a dilute tracer dye into the liquid food medium and loading a known volume into each well, absorbance measurements of the well acquired before and after consumption reflect the resulting change in volume (i.e., volume consumed). To enable high throughput analysis with this method, a 3D-printed coupler was designed that allows flies to be sorted individually into 96-well microplates. This device precisely orients 96- and 1536-well microplates to give each fly access to up to 4 wells for consumption, thus enabling food preference quantification in addition to regular consumption. Furthermore, the device has barrier strips that toggle between open and closed positions to allow for controlled containment and release of a column of samples at a time. This method enables high throughput measurements of consumption of aqueous solutions by many flies simultaneously. It also has the potential to be adapted to other insects and to screen consumption of nutrients, toxins, or pharmaceuticals.

A High Throughput Microplate Feeder Assay for Quantification of Consumption in Drosophila

The microplate feeder assay offers an economical, high throughput method for quantifying liquid food consumption in Drosophila. A 3D-printed device connects a 96-well microplate in which flies are housed to a 1536-well microplate from which flies consume a feeding solution with a tracer dye. The solution volume decline is measured spectrophotometrically.

Quantifying food intake in Drosophila is used to study the genetic and physiological underpinnings of consumption-associated traits, their environmental ...

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila

Olfactory and gustatory perception of the environment is vital for animal survival. The most obvious application of these chemosenses is to be able to distinguish good food sources from potentially dangerous food sources. Gustation requires physical contact with a chemical compound which is able to signal through taste receptors that are expressed on the surface of neurons. In insects, these gustatory neurons can be located across the animal's body allowing taste to play an important role in many different behaviors. Insects typically prefer compounds containing sugars, while compounds that are considered bitter tasting are avoided. Given the basic biological importance of taste, there is intense interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this sensory modality. We describe an adult Drosophila taste assay which reflects the preference of the animals for a given tastant compound. This assay may be applied to animals of any genetic background to examine the taste preference for a desired soluble compound.

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila

Taste is an important sensory process which facilitates attraction to beneficial substances and avoidance of toxic substances. This protocol describes a simple ingestion assay for determining Drosophila gustatory preference for a given chemical compound.

Olfactory and gustatory perception of the environment is vital for animal survival.  The most obvious application of these chemosenses is to be able to ...

Quantification of Macronutrients Intake in a Thermogenetic Neuronal Screen using Drosophila Larvae

Foraging and feeding behaviors allow animals to access sources of energy and nutrients essential for their development, health, and fitness. Investigating the neuronal regulation of these behaviors is essential for the understanding of the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying nutritional homeostasis. The use of genetically tractable animal models such as worms, flies, and fish greatly facilitates these types of studies. In the last decade, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been used as a powerful animal model by neurobiologists investigating the neuronal control of feeding and foraging behaviors. While undoubtedly valuable, most studies examine adult flies. Here, we describe a protocol that takes advantage of the simpler larval nervous system to investigate neuronal substrates controlling feeding behaviors when larvae are exposed to diets differing in their protein and carbohydrates content. Our methods are based on a quantitative colorimetric no-choice feeding assay, performed in the context of a neuronal thermogenetic-activation screen. As a read-out, the amount of food eaten by larvae over a 1 h interval was used when exposed to one of the three dye-labeled diets that differ in their protein to carbohydrates (P:C) ratios. The efficacy of this protocol is demonstrated in the context of a neurogenetic screen in larval Drosophila, by identifying candidate neuronal populations regulating the amount of food eaten in diets of different macronutrient quality. We were also able to classify and group the genotypes tested into phenotypic classes. Besides a brief review of the currently available methods in the literature, the advantages and limitations of these methods are discussed and, also, some suggestions are provided about how this protocol might be adapted to other specific experiments.

Quantification of Macronutrients Intake in a Thermogenetic Neuronal Screen using Drosophila Larvae

Described here is a protocol that enables the colorimetric quantification of the amount of food eaten within a defined interval of time by Drosophila melanogaster larvae exposed to diets of different macronutrient quality. These assays are conducted in the context of a neuronal thermogenetic screen.

Foraging and feeding behaviors allow animals to access sources of energy and nutrients essential for their development, health, and fitness. Investigating ...

A Rapid Food-Preference Assay in Drosophila

To select food with nutritional value while avoiding the consumption of harmful agents, animals need a sophisticated and robust taste system to evaluate their food environment. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a genetically tractable model organism that is widely used to decipher the molecular, cellular, and neural underpinnings of food preference. To analyze fly food preference, a robust feeding method is needed. Described here is a two-choice feeding assay, which is rigorous, cost-saving, and fast. The assay is Petri-dish-based and involves the addition of two different foods supplemented with blue or red dye to the two halves of the dish. Then, ~70 prestarved, 2-4-day-old flies are placed in the dish and&#160;allowed to choose between blue and red foods in the dark for about 90 min. Examination of the abdomen of each fly is followed by the calculation of the preference index. In contrast to multiwell plates, each Petri dish takes only ~20 s to fill and saves time and effort. This feeding assay can be employed to quickly determine whether flies like or dislike a particular food.

A Rapid Food-Preference Assay in Drosophila

We present a protocol for a two-choice feeding assay for flies. This feeding assay is fast and easy to run and is suitable not only for small-scale laboratory research, but also for high-throughput behavioral screens in flies.

To select food with nutritional value while avoiding the consumption of harmful agents, animals need a sophisticated and robust taste system to evaluate ...

Feeding Test: Assessment of Feeding Preferences in Drosophila melanogaster

Source: Bovier, T. F., et al. <a href="https://www.jove.com/video/59535/" target="_blank">Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster</a>. J. Vis. Exp. (2019).
This video describes a feeding assay for fruit flies in which colored food is used to monitor feeding and the effect added compounds may have on feeding activity. The example protocol tests the effects of several endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC).

Source: Bovier, T. F., et al. Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Vis. Exp. (2019).
This video describes a feeding assay ...

JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments

Biology

Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly)

Adult

Taste Preference Assay: A Method for Measuring Feeding Behavior in Drosophila

Source: Bantel, A. P. and Tessier, C. R. <a href="https://www.jove.com/video/54403/" target="_blank">Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila</a>. J. Vis. Exp. (2016).
This video describes the taste preference assay, a behavioral method used to measure attraction or avoidance towards colored solutions that taste differently by assessing the fly&#39;s abdominal coloration after ingestion of the preferred substance. The featured protocol demonstrates the procedure used to measure flies&#39; preference towards solutions of varying sucrose concentrations.

Source: Bantel, A. P. and Tessier, C. R. Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila. J. Vis. Exp. (2016).
This video describes the taste preference ...

The CApillary FEeder (CAFE) Assay: A Method to Track Food Consumption and Preference in Drosophila

Source: Diegelmann, S., et al. <a href="https://www.jove.com/video/55024/" target="_blank">The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster</a>. J. Vis. Exp. (2017).
This video describes the CApillary FEeder, or CAFE, assay, a behavioral method that measures food intake and preference of unrestrained fruit flies. The featured protocol shows how to perform the assay with minimal evaporation from the liquid-filled capillaries used to deliver the food and track its intake.

Source: Diegelmann, S., et al. The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster. J. Vis. Exp. (2017).
This video describes the ...

The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster

Summary

Explore More Videos

Chapters in this video

Single Sensillum Recordings in the Insects Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae

Combining Quantitative Food-intake Assays and Forcibly Activating Neurons to Study Appetite in Drosophila

A Single-fly Assay for Foraging Behavior in Drosophila

A High Throughput Microplate Feeder Assay for Quantification of Consumption in Drosophila

Taste Preference Assay for Adult Drosophila

Quantification of Macronutrients Intake in a Thermogenetic Neuronal Screen using Drosophila Larvae

A Rapid Food-Preference Assay in Drosophila

Feeding Test: Assessment of Feeding Preferences in Drosophila melanogaster

Taste Preference Assay: A Method for Measuring Feeding Behavior in Drosophila

The CApillary FEeder (CAFE) Assay: A Method to Track Food Consumption and Preference in Drosophila