Spenito-dependent metabolic sexual dimorphism intrinsic to fat storage cells.

ABSTRACT: Metabolism in males and females is distinct. Differences are usually linked to sexual reproduction, with circulating signals (e.g. hormones) playing major roles. By contrast, sex differences prior to sexual maturity and intrinsic to individual metabolic tissues are less understood. We analyzed Drosophila melanogaster larvae and find that males store more fat than females, the opposite of the sexual dimorphism in adults. We show that metabolic differences are intrinsic to the major fat storage tissue, including many differences in the expression of metabolic genes. Our previous work identified fat storage roles for Spenito (Nito), a conserved RNA-binding protein and regulator of sex determination. Nito knockdown specifically in the fat storage tissue abolished fat differences between

SUBMITTER: Diaz AV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9949119 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature