Drosophila Y-maze Assay: A Method to Assess Olfactory Responses in Flies
Published: April 30, 2023
Abstract
Source: Simonnet, M. M., et al. Testing Drosophila Olfaction with a Y-maze Assay. J. Vis. Exp. (2014).
This video describes a method to test olfactory exploratory behavior in the fruit fly, called the Y-maze. The featured protocol clip demonstrates how to set up and conduct the assay.
Protocol
This protocol text is an excerpt from Simonnet et al., Testing Drosophila Olfaction with a Y-maze Assay, J. Vis. Exp. (2014). 1. Before Starting Use an isogenized reference stock bearing stable and robust behavioral phenotypes. There is no general rule for choosing this stock, since all potential controls may carry heterogeneous background alleles. Use this control strain to backcross every other stock necessary for…
Representative Results
Figure 1: Male olfactory response assessed with a Y-maze set-up. A) Split device. B) Assembled device. C) Set-up in working condition under far-red light. D) Quantification of male olfactory responses toward acetic acid (AA) or phenylacetic acid (PAA) both diluted in distilled water (10% v/v) (N = 11, representing a total of 110 flies). Statistical a…
Materials
| Drosophila Polystyrene tube | VWR europe | 734-2255 | 30 x 25 mm Y-maze |
| Drosophila Borosilicate tube | Dijon verre | 95 X 25 mm Y-maze | |
| Foam stopper | Dutscher | 999038 | Y-maze |
| Y-shaped connector | Europrix | 11020605 | Y-maze |
| 100-1,000 µl pipette tips | Corning | 4868 | Join the following pipette tips to the Y-shaped connector. Cut 2 pipette tips at 65 mm from the wide end, and connect the narrow end (with a ~2 mm opening) to 2 test vials. These openings will limit the U-turns once the flies enter the tubes containing the odors. Cut 1 pipette tip at 35 mm from the wide end, and connect it to the loading vial. |
| Far-Red LED Bulb | Rubin-Lacaque | 0RB180238 | 625-630 nm |
| Acetic Acid | Sigma-Aldrich | 45725 | |
| Phenylacetic Acid | Sigma-Aldrich | P16621 | |
| Yeast | Sensient Flavors Strasbourg | 1018880464 | |
| Cornmeal | eurogerm | Farine de maïs | |
| Agar | Kalys | HP-697-25 | |
| Methyl hydroxy 4 benzoate | VWR international | 25605293 |
Cite This Article
Drosophila Y-maze Assay: A Method to Assess Olfactory Responses in Flies. J. Vis. Exp. (Pending Publication), e20142, doi: (2023).