Genetic studies of spectrin in the larval fat body of Drosophila melanogaster: evidence for a novel lipid uptake apparatus.

ABSTRACT: Spectrin cytoskeleton defects produce a host of phenotypes affecting the plasma membrane, cell polarity, and secretory membrane traffic. However, many of the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unexplained by prevailing models. Here we used the larval fat body of Drosophila melanogaster as a genetic model system to further elucidate mechanisms of αβ-spectrin function. The results provide unexpected new insights into spectrin function as well as mechanisms of dietary fat uptake and storage. We show that loss of α- or β-spectrin in the fat body eliminated a population of small cortical lipid droplets and altered plasma membrane architecture, but did not affect viability of the organism. We present a novel model in which αβ-spectrin directly couples lipid uptake at the plasma membrane to l

SUBMITTER: Diaconeasa B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3813870 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature