Glut1 Functions in Insulin-Producing Neurons to Regulate Lipid and Carbohydrate Storage in .

Obesity remains one of the largest health problems in the world, arising from the excess storage of triglycerides (TAGs). However, the full complement of genes that are important for regulating TAG storage is not known. The gene encodes a glucose transporter that has been identified as a potential obesity gene through genetic screening.

Transcriptional Control of Lipid Metabolism.

Transcriptional control of lipid metabolism uses a framework that parallels the control of lipid metabolism at the protein or enzyme level, via feedback and feed-forward mechanisms. Increasing the substrates for an enzyme often increases enzyme gene expression, for example. A paucity of product can likewise potentiate transcription or stability of the mRNA encoding the enzyme or enzymes needed to produce it.

The regulation of triglyceride and glycogen storage by Glucose transporter 1 ( ) in fat tissue.

Obesity reflects an imbalance in nutrient storage resulting in excess fat accumulation. The molecules that tissues use to regulate nutrient storage are not well understood. A previously published genetic screen using larvae identified , a transmembrane glucose transporter, as a potential obesity gene.

The regulation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 () mRNA splicing by nutrient availability in fat tissue.

After a meal, excess nutrients are stored within adipose tissue as triglycerides in lipid droplets. Previous genome-wide RNAi screens in cells have identified mRNA splicing factors as being important for lipid droplet formation. Our lab has previously shown that a class of mRNA splicing factors called serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins, which help to identify intron/exon borders, are important for triglyceride storage in fat tissue, partially by regulating the splicing of the gene for carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), an enzyme important for mitochondrial β-oxidation of fatty acids.

: a regulator of triglyceride homeostasis in male .

Achieving metabolic homeostasis is necessary for survival, and many genes are required to control organismal metabolism. A genetic screen in larvae identified putative fat storage genes including . has been shown to act in neurons to regulate larval lipid storage; however, whether functions to regulate adult metabolism is unknown.

The role of SR protein kinases in regulating lipid storage in the Drosophila fat body.

The survival of animals during periods of limited nutrients is dependent on the organism's ability to store lipids during times of nutrient abundance. However, the increased availability of food in modern western society has led to an excess storage of lipids resulting in metabolic diseases. To better understand the genes involved in regulating lipid storage, genome-wide RNAi screens were performed in cultured Drosophila cells and one group of genes identified includes mRNA splicing factor genes.

The ESCRT-III Protein Regulates Lipid Storage in the Fat Body.

Defects in how excess nutrients are stored as triglycerides can result in several diseases including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Understanding the genes responsible for normal lipid homeostasis will help understand the pathogenesis of these diseases. RNAi screens performed in cells identified genes involved in vesicle formation and protein sorting as important for the formation of lipid droplets; however, all of the vesicular trafficking proteins that regulate lipid storage are unknown.

Elucidating the Role of Overexpression in the Transport of Polyamines in .

Polyamines are small organic cations that are essential for many biological processes such as cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. While the metabolism of polyamines has been well studied, the mechanisms by which polyamines are transported into and out of cells are poorly understood. Here, we describe a novel role of Chmp1, a vesicular trafficking protein, in the transport of polyamines using a well-defined leg imaginal disc assay in larvae.

Student Attitudes Contribute to the Effectiveness of a Genomics CURE.

The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) engages students in a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To better understand the student attributes that support success in this CURE, we asked students about their attitudes using previously published scales that measure epistemic beliefs about work and science, interest in science, and grit. We found, in general, that the attitudes students bring with them into the classroom contribute to two outcome measures, namely, learning as assessed by a pre- and postquiz and perceived self-reported benefits.

The splicing factor 9G8 regulates the expression of NADPH-producing enzyme genes in Drosophila.

Excess nutrients are stored as triglycerides, mostly as lipid droplets found in adipose tissue. Previous studies have characterized a group of splicing factors called serine/arginine rich (SR) proteins that function to identify intron/exon borders in regulating metabolic homeostasis in the Drosophila fat body. Decreasing the function of one SR protein, 9G8, causes an increase in triglyceride storage; however, the full complement of genes regulated by 9G8 to control metabolism is unknown.

The regulation of lipid and carbohydrate storage by the splicing factor gene in the fat body.

Excess triglycerides from the diet are stored in structures called lipid droplets in adipose tissue. Genome-wide RNAi screens have identified mRNA splicing factors as important for lipid droplet formation; however, the full complement of splicing factors that regulate lipid storage is not known. Here, we characterize the role of , the gene encoding for a splicing protein involved in recognizing the 5' splice site in introns, in regulating lipid and carbohydrate storage in the fat body.

Expression of a constitutively active insulin receptor in Drosulfakinin (Dsk) neurons regulates metabolism and sleep in .

The ability of organisms to sense their nutritional environment and adjust their behavior accordingly is critical for survival. Insulin-like peptides (ilps) play major roles in controlling behavior and metabolism; however, the tissues and cells that insulin acts on to regulate these processes are not fully understood. In the fruit fly, , insulin signaling has been shown to function in the fat body to regulate lipid storage, but whether ilps act on the fly brain to regulate nutrient storage is not known.

Transportin-serine/arginine-rich (Tnpo-SR) proteins are necessary for proper lipid storage in the Drosophila fat body.

After a meal, excess nutrients are stored within adipose tissue as triglycerides in structures called lipid droplets. Previous genome-wide RNAi screens have identified that mRNA splicing factor genes are required for normal lipid droplet formation in Drosophila cells. We have previously shown that mRNA splicing factors called serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are important for triglyceride storage in the Drosophila fat body.

The Role of Spermidine Synthase (SpdS) and Spermine Synthase (Sms) in Regulating Triglyceride Storage in .

Polyamines are small organic cations that are important for several biological processes such as cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. The dysregulation of intracellular polyamines is often associated with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and developmental disorders. Although polyamine metabolism has been well studied, the effects of key enzymes in the polyamine pathway on lipid metabolism are not well understood.

The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) glorund functions in the fat body to regulate lipid storage and transport.

The availability of excess nutrients in Western diets has led to the overaccumulation of these nutrients as triglycerides, a condition known as obesity. The full complement of genes important for regulating triglyceride storage is not completely understood. Genome-wide RNAi screens in cells have identified genes involved in mRNA splicing as important lipid storage regulators.

Facilitating Growth through Frustration: Using Genomics Research in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience.

A hallmark of the research experience is encountering difficulty and working through those challenges to achieve success. This ability is essential to being a successful scientist, but replicating such challenges in a teaching setting can be difficult. The Genomics Education Partnership (GEP) is a consortium of faculty who engage their students in a genomics Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE).

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.

The regulation of triglyceride storage by ornithine decarboxylase (Odc1) in Drosophila.

Polyamines are low molecular weight, organic cations that play a critical role in many major cellular processes including cell cycle regulation and apoptosis, cellular division, tissue proliferation, and cellular differentiation; however, the functions of polyamines in regulating the storage of metabolic fuels such as triglycerides and glycogen is poorly understood. To address this question, we focused on the Drosophila homolog of ornithine decarboxylase (Odc1), the first rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of polyamines. Mutants in Odc1 are lethal, but heterozygotes were viable to adulthood.

The SR proteins SF2 and RBP1 regulate triglyceride storage in the fat body of Drosophila.

In Western societies where food is abundant, these excess nutrients are stored as fats mainly in adipose tissue. Fats are stored in structures known as lipid droplets, and a genome-wide screen performed in Drosophila cells has identified several genes that are important for the formation of these droplets. One group of genes found during this screen included those that regulate mRNA splicing.

Functions in the Fat Body To Promote Sleep.

Metabolic state is a potent modulator of sleep and circadian behavior, and animals acutely modulate their sleep in accordance with internal energy stores and food availability. Across phyla, hormones secreted from adipose tissue act in the brain to control neural physiology and behavior to modulate sleep and metabolic state. Growing evidence suggests the fat body is a critical regulator of complex behaviors, but little is known about the genes that function within the fat body to regulate sleep.

Variation in sleep and metabolic function is associated with latitude and average temperature in .

Regulation of sleep and metabolic homeostasis is critical to an animal's survival and under stringent evolutionary pressure. Animals display remarkable diversity in sleep and metabolic phenotypes; however, an understanding of the ecological forces that select for, and maintain, these phenotypic differences remains poorly understood. The fruit fly, , is a powerful model for investigating the genetic regulation of sleep and metabolic function, and screening in inbred fly lines has led to the identification of novel genetic regulators of sleep.

The splicing factor transformer2 (tra2) functions in the Drosophila fat body to regulate lipid storage.

Excess nutrients are stored as triglycerides mainly in the adipose tissue of an animal and these triglycerides are located in structures called lipid droplets. Previous genome-wide RNAi screens in Drosophila cells identified splicing factors as playing a role in lipid droplet formation. Our lab has recently identified the SR protein, 9G8, as an important factor in fat storage as decreasing its levels results in augmented triglyceride storage in the fat body.

Retrotransposons Are the Major Contributors to the Expansion of the Muller F Element.

The discordance between genome size and the complexity of eukaryotes can partly be attributed to differences in repeat density. The Muller F element (∼5.2 Mb) is the smallest chromosome in , but it is substantially larger (>18.

Sleep-Dependent Modulation of Metabolic Rate in Drosophila.

Study Objectives: Dysregulation of sleep is associated with metabolic diseases, and metabolic rate (MR) is acutely regulated by sleep-wake behavior. In humans and rodent models, sleep loss is associated with obesity, reduced metabolic rate, and negative energy balance, yet little is known about the neural mechanisms governing interactions between sleep and metabolism.

Methods: We have developed a system to simultaneously measure sleep and MR in individual Drosophila, allowing for interrogation of neural systems governing interactions between sleep and metabolic rate.

translin Is Required for Metabolic Regulation of Sleep.

Dysregulation of sleep or feeding has enormous health consequences. In humans, acute sleep loss is associated with increased appetite and insulin insensitivity, while chronically sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to develop obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Conversely, metabolic state potently modulates sleep and circadian behavior; yet, the molecular basis for sleep-metabolism interactions remains poorly understood.