Lipogenesis in Nasonia vitripennis: Influence of sugar chemistry, preferential production of triacylglycerides, and comparison of fatty acid biosynthetic capacity with Drosophilamelanogaster.

Sugar consumption increases the fecundity and longevity in many species of parasitic wasps (parasitoids) but whether these insects use sugars to synthesize significant amounts of fatty acids and storage fat de novo (lipogenesis) is discussed controversially. It has long been assumed that parasitic wasps lost this ability during evolution, mainly because in several species wasps with ad libitum access to sugar did not increase teneral lipid levels. Recent studies demonstrated that many species are nonetheless capable of synthesizing fatty acids de novo from glucose.