Dietary B vitamins influence the Drosophila melanogaster preference for dietary yeast.

Abstract

The microbiota influences the Drosophila melanogaster dietary preference for yeast (DPY). We previously identified four transposon insertion mutants in Acetobacter fabarum that significantly influence fly DPY, and three of these insertions were in genes that are associated with thiamine metabolism. Here, we tested if thiamine influences fly DPY in monoassociated flies. We show that thiamine and other B vitamins influence fly DPY and that the different mutants have distinct DPY responses to thiamine supplementation. Together, these experiments identify specific nutritional effectors of D. melanogaster DPY.