Abstract
We studied the effects of starvation on changes in neutral lipids in male and female Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) at different ages. When flies were subjected to starvation, the mortality rate was observed to be age- and gender-dependent: male flies died earlier as compared to female flies, and older flies died earlier than younger flies. There was an increase in the number of dead flies and the levels of diacylglycerol (DG) with starvation time. This increase in DG was observed much earlier in male flies as compared to female flies, which correlated with earlier death in male flies during starvation in comparison to female flies. We also analyzed the levels of triglycerides (TG) and lipase activity during starvation of flies. The levels of TG decreased depending upon the duration of starvation in both male and female flies. Interestingly, we observed that like DG, there was also an increase in lipase activity due to starvation, which also correlated with earlier death in male flies as compared to female flies. Our results suggest that increase in DG levels and lipase activity due to starvation may be the main cause of death in the flies.
Highlights
Starvation is the most severe form of malnutrition
One such factor is the target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway that gets triggered by nutritional factors
It has been reported that glucose and fructose affect carbohydrate and lipid metabolism differently by modulation of insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling [17]
Summary
Starvation is the most severe form of malnutrition. In starvation, severe deficiency in energy intake induces a metabolic response focused on the subsistence of the vital organs to allow for survival of the affected individual. The significant levels of conservation between Drosophila and humans make it an outstanding model to study longevity and physiological processes associated with aging [10, 11]. There are many factors that participate in metabolic processes during starvation or malnutrition. One such factor is the target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway that gets triggered by nutritional factors. It has been reported that glucose and fructose affect carbohydrate and lipid metabolism differently by modulation of insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling [17]. We investigated how starvation affects the levels of TG and diacylglycerol (DG) and activity of lipase during aging in both male and female flies.
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