6533b82dfe1ef96bd12913ce

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Dietary rescue of altered metabolism gene reveals unexpected [i]Drosophila[/i] mating cues

subject

description

Running title: Dietary rescue of metabolic mutation and reproduction; To develop and reproduce, animals need long-chain Mono and PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs; PUFAs). Although some UFAs can be synthesized by the organism, others must be provided by the diet. The gene desat1, involved in Drosophila melanogaster UFA metabolism, is necessary for both larval development and for adult sex pheromone communication. We first characterized desat1 expression in larval tissues. Then, we found that larvae in which desat1 expression was knocked down throughout development died during the larval stages when raised on standard food. By contrast pure MUFAs or PUFAs, but not saturated FAs, added to the larval diet, rescued animals to adulthood with the best effect being obtained with oleic acid (C18:1). Male and female mating behavior and fertility were affected very differently by preimaginal UFA-rich diet. Adult diet also strongly influenced several aspects of reproduction: flies raised on C18:1 rich diet showed increased mating performance compared to flies raised on standard adult diet. Therefore, both larval and adult desat1 expression control sex-specific mating signals. A similar nutrigenetics approach may be useful, in other metabolic mutants, to uncover cryptic effects otherwise masked by severe developmental defects.