Hemolymph sugar homeostasis and starvation-induced hyperactivity affected by genetic manipulations of the adipokinetic hormone-encoding gene in Drosophila melanogaster

Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are metabolic neuropeptides, mediating mobilization of energy substrates from the fat body in many insects. In delving into the roles of the Drosophila Akh (dAkh) gene, its developmental expression patterns were examined and the physiological functions of the AKH-produci...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genetics (Austin) 2004-05, Vol.167 (1), p.311-323
Main Authors: Lee, G, Park, J.H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animals
Aorta - embryology
Brain - metabolism
Carbohydrates - chemistry
Circadian Rhythm
Crosses, Genetic
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism
Feeding Behavior
Gene expression
Genes, Reporter
Genetics
Hemolymph - metabolism
Hormones
In Situ Hybridization
Insect Hormones - genetics
Insects
Larva - metabolism
Lipid Metabolism
Models, Genetic
Neurons
Neurons - metabolism
Oligopeptides - genetics
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid - analogs & derivatives
Thorax - embryology
Time Factors
Transgenes
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are metabolic neuropeptides, mediating mobilization of energy substrates from the fat body in many insects. In delving into the roles of the Drosophila Akh (dAkh) gene, its developmental expression patterns were examined and the physiological functions of the AKH-producing neurons were investigated using animals devoid of AKH neurons and ones with ectopically expressing dAkh. The dAkh gene is expressed exclusively in the corpora cardiaca from late embryos to adult stages. Projections emanating from the AKH neurons indicated that AKH has multiple target tissues as follows: the prothoracic gland and aorta in the larva and the crop and brain in the adult. Studies using transgenic manipulations of the dAkh gene demonstrated that AKH induced both hypertrehalosemia and hyperlipemia. Starved wild-type flies displayed prolonged hyperactivity prior to death; this novel behavioral pattern could be associated with food-searching activities in response to starvation. In contrast, flies devoid of AKH neurons not only lacked this type of hyperactivity, but also displayed strong resistance to starvation-induced death. From these findings, we propose another role for AKH in the regulation of starvation-induced foraging behavior.
ISSN:0016-6731
1943-2631
1943-2631
DOI:10.1534/genetics.167.1.311