The CRTC-CREB axis functions as a transcriptional sensor to protect against proteotoxic stress in Drosophila.

cAMP Responsible Element Binding Protein (CREB) is an evolutionarily conserved transcriptional factor that regulates cell growth, synaptic plasticity and so on. In this study, we unexpectedly found proteasome inhibitors, such as MLN2238, robustly increase CREB activity in adult flies through a large-scale compound screening. Mechanistically, reactive oxidative species (ROS) generated by proteasome inhibition are required and sufficient to promote CREB activity through c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK).

Mifepristone (RU486) inhibits dietary lipid digestion by antagonizing the role of glucocorticoid receptor on lipase transcription.

Lipid digestion and absorption are tightly regulated to cope with metabolic demands among tissues. How these processes are coordinated is not well characterized. Here, we found that mifepristone (RU486) prevents lipid digestion both in flies and mice.

A gum Arabic assisted sustainable drug delivery system for adult .

Large-scale compound screening in adult flies is hampered by the lack of continuous drug delivery systems and poor solubility of numerous compounds. Here we found that gum Arabic (Acacia/Senegal gum), a widely used stabilizer, can also emulsify lipophilic compounds and profoundly increase their accessibility to target tissues in and mice. We further developed a gum Arabic-based drug delivery system, wherein the drug was ground into gum Arabic and emulsified in liquid food fed to flies by siphoning through a U-shape glass capillary.