A set of genes that promote sweet taste sensation is also crucial for protein management during fly development, according to a new study led by of the University of Bristol and colleagues. The findings expand the understanding of a key process in successful development and suggest a connection between taste-related genes and disorders of protein aggregation. 

The connection between promotion of proteostasis and the sense of taste is likely through the molecular mechanism of the Gr64 proteins, which regulate calcium flow; changes in calcium levels are used as a signal transducer in sensory cells and also regulate multiple proteostatic processes, including both proteosome function and autophagy. Intriguingly, dysregulated and out-of-place gustatory and olfactory receptors have been detected in the affected brain tissue in several human diseases characterised by loss of protein homeostasis, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. 

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Paper: Baumgartner ME et al. (2022). The Gr64 cluster of gustatory receptors promotes survival and proteostasis of epithelial cells in Drosophila. PLOS Biology. https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001710