A gut-derived hormone switches dietary preference after mating in Drosophila

Animals must adapt their dietary choices to meet their nutritional needs. How these needs are detected and translated into nutrient-specific appetites that drive food-choice behaviors is poorly defined. Here, we show that the enteroendocrine cells (EECs) of the adult female Drosophila midgut sense n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Malita, Alina, Kubrak, Olga, Koyama, Takashi, Ahrentloev, Nadja, Halberg, Kenneth V, Texada, Michael J, Nagy, Stanislav, Kim Rewitz
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 04.03.2022
Subjects
Adipose tissue
Appetite
Dietary intake
Drosophila
Food
Food preferences
Glucagon
Hunger
Insects
Mating
Midgut
Neuropeptide F
Neuropeptide Y
Nutrients
Proteins
Satiety
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Summary:Animals must adapt their dietary choices to meet their nutritional needs. How these needs are detected and translated into nutrient-specific appetites that drive food-choice behaviors is poorly defined. Here, we show that the enteroendocrine cells (EECs) of the adult female Drosophila midgut sense nutrients and in response release neuropeptide F (NPF), an ortholog of mammalian NPY-family gut-brain hormones. Gut-derived NPF acts via effects on glucagon-like adipokinetic hormone (AKH) signaling to induce sugar satiety and to drive hunger for protein-rich food, and on adipose tissue to promote storage of ingested nutrients. Suppression of gut NPF leads to overconsumption of dietary sugar while decreasing intake of protein-rich yeast. Furthermore, we show a female-specific function of gut-derived NPF in the suppression of AKH signaling after mating. This induces a dietary switch that promotes preference for protein-containing food to support reproduction. Together, our findings suggest that the gut NPF-AKH axis regulates appetite that drives specific food choices to ensure homeostatic consumption of nutrients, providing insight into the hormonal mechanisms that underlie nutrient-specific hungers. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
DOI:10.1101/2022.03.02.482605