Ether phospholipids modulate somatosensory responses by tuning multiple receptor functions in Drosophila

Transient receptor potential (TRP) and PIEZO channels are known receptors for physical stimuli, such as temperature and mechanical touch, respectively, in sensory nerves. As these receptors are localized in the plasma membrane, the modulation of sensory receptor activity by plasma membrane lipids has recently attracted attention. In this study, we focused on ether phospholipids (ePLs), which are abundant in neurons, and analyzed their role in somatosensation using Drosophila as a model. Reduced mechanosensory behavior was observed with ePL synthesizing gene knockout or knockdown in mechano-sensitive PIEZO-expressing neurons. The activation of PIEZO channels was significantly augmented in the presence of ePLs. Furthermore, we observed that ePLs modulate the thermosensory behavior and reduce thermal threshold of the thermosensitive TRPA1 channels. Finally, we revealed that ePLs affect membrane tension and lipid order of the plasma membrane in culture cells. Our study identified ePLs as a modulator of multiple somatosensation modalities in Drosophila, which underscore the significance of functional interaction between membrane lipid and sensory channel proteins.