@article{swarup_morozova_sridhar_nokes_anholt_2014, title={Modulation of Feeding Behavior by Odorant-Binding Proteins in Drosophila melanogaster}, volume={39}, ISSN={["1464-3553"]}, DOI={10.1093/chemse/bjt061}, abstractNote={Nutrient intake and avoidance of toxins are essential for survival and controlled by attractive and aversive feeding responses. Drosophila melanogaster presents one of the best characterized systems for studies on chemosensation, which is mediated by multigene families of chemoreceptors, including olfactory receptors, gustatory receptors, and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). Although the response profiles of gustatory receptors have been well studied, the contribution of OBPs to food intake is largely unknown. As most aversive (“bitter”) tastants are hydrophobic, we hypothesized that OBPs may fulfill an essential function in transporting bitter tastants to gustatory receptors to modulate feeding behavior. Here, we used 16 RNAi lines that inhibit expression of individual target Obp genes and show that OBPs modulate sucrose intake in response to a panel of nine bitter compounds. Similar to their function in olfaction, OBPs appear to interact with bitter compounds in a combinatorial and sex-dependent manner. RNAi-mediated reduction in expression of individual Obp genes resulted either in enhanced or reduced intake of sucrose in the presence of bitter compounds, consistent with roles for OBPs in transporting tastants to bitter taste receptors, sequestering them to limit their access to these receptors, or interacting directly with gustatory neurons that respond to sucrose.}, number={2}, journal={CHEMICAL SENSES}, author={Swarup, Shilpa and Morozova, Tatiana V. and Sridhar, Sruthipriya and Nokes, Michael and Anholt, Robert R. H.}, year={2014}, month={Feb}, pages={125–132} }
 @article{swarup_williams_anholt_2011, title={Functional dissection of Odorant binding protein genes in Drosophila melanogaster}, volume={10}, ISSN={["1601-183X"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79961026622&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/j.1601-183x.2011.00704.x}, abstractNote={Most organisms rely on olfaction for survival and reproduction. The olfactory system of Drosophila melanogaster is one of the best characterized chemosensory systems and serves as a prototype for understanding insect olfaction. Olfaction in Drosophila is mediated by multigene families of odorant receptors and odorant binding proteins (OBPs). Although molecular response profiles of odorant receptors have been well documented, the contributions of OBPs to olfactory behavior remain largely unknown. Here, we used RNAi‐mediated suppression of Obp gene expression and measurements of behavioral responses to 16 ecologically relevant odorants to systematically dissect the functions of 17 OBPs. We quantified the effectiveness of RNAi‐mediated suppression by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and used a proteomic liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry procedure to show target‐specific suppression of OBPs expressed in the antennae. Flies in which expression of a specific OBP is suppressed often show altered behavioral responses to more than one, but not all, odorants, in a sex‐dependent manner. Similarly, responses to a specific odorant are frequently affected by suppression of expression of multiple, but not all, OBPs. These results show that OBPs are essential for mediating olfactory behavioral responses and suggest that OBP‐dependent odorant recognition is combinatorial.}, number={6}, journal={GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR}, author={Swarup, S. and Williams, T. I. and Anholt, R. R. H.}, year={2011}, month={Aug}, pages={648–657} }
 @article{swarup_huang_mackay_anholt, title={Analysis of natural variation reveals neurogenetic networks for Drosophila olfactory behavior}, volume={110}, number={3}, journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, author={Swarup, S. and Huang, W. and Mackay, T. F. C. and Anholt, R. R. H.}, pages={1017–1022} }