Natural variation in plasticity of glucose homeostasis and food intake.

Balancing the acquisition, allocation and storage of energy during periods of food deprivation is critical for survival. We show that natural variation in the foraging (for) gene, which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, affects behavioral and physiological responses to short-term food deprivation. Rover and sitter, natural allelic variants of for, differ in their stored carbohydrate reserves as well as their response to short-term deprivation.

Natural variation in food acquisition mediated via a Drosophila cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

In natural environments where food abundance and quality can change drastically over time, animals must continuously alter their food acquisition strategies. Although genetic variation contributes to this plasticity, the specific genes involved and their interactions with the environment are poorly understood. Here we report that natural variation in the Drosophila gene, foraging (for), which encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), affects larval food acquisition in an environmentally dependent fashion.