The role of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) Hrb27C in regulating lipid storage in the Drosophila fat body.

The storage of excess nutrients as triglycerides is essential for all organisms to survive when food is scarce; however, the mechanisms by which triglycerides are stored are not completely understood. Genome-wide RNAi screens in Drosophila cells have identified genes involved in mRNA splicing that are important in the regulation of triglyceride storage. Our lab has identified a number of splicing factors important for regulating lipid metabolism; however, the full complement of splicing proteins involved in achieving metabolic homeostasis is unknown.