Tumor induction in Drosophila imaginal epithelia triggers modulation of fat body lipid droplets

Abstract

Our understanding of cancer-specific metabolic changes is currently unclear. In recent years, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with its powerful genetic tools has become an attractive model for studying both tumor autonomous and the systemic processes resulting from the tumor growth. Here we investigated the effect of tumorigenesis on the modulation of lipid droplets (LDs) in the larval fat bodies (mammalian equivalent of adipose tissue). We have overexpressed Notch signaling alone or in combination with the developmental regulator Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (Mef2) using wing-specific and eye-specific drivers, quantified the size of LDs in the fat body of the different tumor bearing larvae, and estimated the expression of genes associated with lipolysis and lipogenesis. We have found that hyperplastic and neoplastic tumor induced by overexpression of Notch and co-expression of Notch and Mef2 respectively triggers impaired lipid metabolism marked by increased size of fat body LDs. The impaired lipid metabolism in tumor carrying larvae is linked to the altered expression of genes that participate in lipolysis and lipogenesis. These findings reveal modulation of LDs as one of the host’s specific response upon tumor initiation. This information could potentially uncover mechanisms for designing innovative approaches to modulate cancer growth.