Fat-body brummer lipase determines survival and cardiac function during starvation in Drosophila melanogaster.

The cross talk between adipose tissue and the heart has an increasing importance for cardiac function under physiological and pathological conditions. This study characterizes the role of fat body lipolysis for cardiac function in Drosophila melanogaster. Perturbation of the function of the key lipolytic enzyme, brummer (bmm), an ortholog of the mammalian ATGL (adipose triglyceride lipase) exclusively in the fly's fat body, protected the heart against starvation-induced dysfunction. We further provide evidence that this protection is caused by the preservation of glycerolipid stores, resulting in a starvation-resistant maintenance of energy supply and adequate cardiac ATP synthesis. Finally, we suggest that alterations of lipolysis are tightly coupled to lipogenic processes, participating in the preservation of lipid energy substrates during starvation. Thus, we identified the inhibition of adipose tissue lipolysis and subsequent energy preservation as a protective mechanism against cardiac dysfunction during catabolic stress.

Intergenerational inheritance of high fat diet-induced cardiac lipotoxicity in Drosophila.

Obesity is strongly correlated with lipotoxic cardiomyopathy, heart failure and thus mortality. The incidence of obesity has reached alarming proportions worldwide, and increasing evidence suggests that the parents' nutritional status may predispose their offspring to lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. However, to date, mechanisms underlying intergenerational heart disease risks have yet to be elucidated. Here we report that cardiac dysfunction induced by high-fat-diet (HFD) persists for two subsequent generations in Drosophila and is associated with reduced expression of two key metabolic regulators, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL/bmm) and transcriptional cofactor PGC-1. We provide evidence that targeted expression of ATGL/bmm in the offspring of HFD-fed parents protects them, and the subsequent generation, from cardio-lipotoxicity. Furthermore, we find that intergenerational inheritance of lipotoxic cardiomyopathy correlates with elevated systemic H3K27 trimethylation. Lowering H3K27 trimethylation genetically or pharmacologically in the offspring of HFD-fed parents prevents cardiac pathology. This suggests that metabolic homeostasis is epigenetically regulated across generations.

High Fat Diet Feeding and High Throughput Triacylglyceride Assay in Drosophila Melanogaster.

Heart disease is the number one cause of human death worldwide. Numerous studies have shown strong connections between obesity and cardiac malfunction in humans, but more tools and research efforts are needed to better elucidate the mechanisms involved. For over a century, the genetically highly tractable model of Drosophila has been instrumental in the discovery of key genes and molecular pathways that proved to be highly conserved across species. Many biological processes and disease mechanisms are functionally conserved in the fly, such as development (e.g., body plan, heart), cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. Recently, the study of obesity and secondary pathologies, such as heart disease in model organisms, has played a highly critical role in the identification of key regulators involved in metabolic syndrome in humans. Here, we propose to use this model organism as an efficient tool to induce obesity, i.e., excessive fat accumulation, and develop an efficient protocol to monitor fat content in the form of TAGs accumulation. In addition to the highly conserved, but less complex genome, the fly also has a short lifespan for rapid experimentation, combined with cost-effectiveness. This paper provides a detailed protocol for High Fat Diet (HFD) feeding in Drosophila to induce obesity and a high throughput triacylglyceride (TAG) assay for measuring the associated increase in fat content, with the aim to be highly reproducible and efficient for large-scale genetic or chemical screening. These protocols offer new opportunities to efficiently investigate regulatory mechanisms involved in obesity, as well as provide a standardized platform for drug discovery research for rapid testing of the effect of drug candidates on the development or prevention of obesity, diabetes and related metabolic diseases.

Gaining Insights into Diabetic Cardiomyopathy from Drosophila.

The high degree of genetic conservation between Drosophila melanogaster and mammals has helped to translate many important findings into new knowledge, and has led to better understanding of many biological processes in vertebrates. For over a century, the Drosophila model has been used in studies aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms implicated in heredity, development, disease progression, and aging. The current epidemic of obesity and associated diabetic cardiomyopathy and heart failure has led to a shift in Drosophila research towards understanding the basic mechanisms leading to metabolic syndrome and associated cardiac risk factors. We discuss recent findings in Drosophila that highlight the importance of this organism as an excellent model for studying the effects of metabolic imbalance on cardiac function.

PGC-1/Spargel Counteracts High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity and Cardiac Lipotoxicity Downstream of TOR and Brummer ATGL Lipase.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with an increased risk for lipotoxic cardiomyopathy, which is strongly correlated with excessive accumulation of lipids in the heart. Obesity- and type-2-diabetes-related disorders have been linked to altered expression of the transcriptional cofactor PGC-1α, which regulates the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism. Using Drosophila, we identify PGC-1/spargel (PGC-1/srl) as a key antagonist of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. We find that HFD-induced lipid accumulation and cardiac dysfunction are mimicked by reduced PGC-1/srl function and reversed by PGC-1/srl overexpression. Moreover, HFD feeding lowers PGC-1/srl expression by elevating TOR signaling and inhibiting expression of the Drosophila adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL) (Brummer), both of which function as upstream modulators of PGC-1/srl. The lipogenic transcription factor SREBP also contributes to HFD-induced cardiac lipotoxicity, likely in parallel with PGC-1/srl. These results suggest a regulatory network of key metabolic genes that modulates lipotoxic heart dysfunction.

Drosophila as a model to study the genetic mechanisms of obesity-associated heart dysfunction.

Obesity and cardiovascular disease are among the world's leading causes of death, especially in Western countries where consumption of high caloric food is commonly accompanied by low physical activity. This lifestyle often leads to energy imbalance, obesity, diabetes and their associated metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. It has become increasingly recognized that obesity and cardiovascular disease are metabolically linked, and a better understanding of this relationship requires that we uncover the fundamental genetic mechanisms controlling obesity-related heart dysfunction, a goal that has been difficult to achieve in higher organisms with intricate metabolic complexity. However, the high degree of evolutionary conservation of genes and signalling pathways allows researchers to use lower animal models such as Drosophila, which is the simplest genetic model with a heart, to uncover the mechanistic basis of obesity-related heart disease and its likely relevance to humans. Here, we discuss recent advances made by using the power of the Drosophila as a powerful model to investigate the genetic pathways by which a high fat diet may lead to heart dysfunction.

Reptin and Pontin function antagonistically with PcG and TrxG complexes to mediate Hox gene control.

Pontin (Pont) and Reptin (Rept) are paralogous ATPases that are evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human. They are recruited in multiprotein complexes that function in various aspects of DNA metabolism. They are essential for viability and have antagonistic roles in tissue growth, cell signalling and regulation of the tumour metastasis suppressor gene, KAI1, indicating that the balance of Pont and Rept regulates epigenetic programmes critical for development and cancer progression. Here, we describe Pont and Rept as antagonistic mediators of Drosophila Hox gene transcription, functioning with Polycomb group (PcG) and Trithorax group proteins to maintain correct patterns of expression. We show that Rept is a component of the PRC1 PcG complex, whereas Pont purifies with the Brahma complex. Furthermore, the enzymatic functions of Rept and Pont are indispensable for maintaining Hox gene expression states, highlighting the importance of these two antagonistic factors in transcriptional output.