A low-sugar diet enhancesDrosophilabody size in males and females via sex-specific mechanisms

• DOI: 10.1242/dev.200491
• Publication Date: 2022-02-23T11:46:18Z
• Authors: Jason W. Millington; Puja Biswas; Charlotte Chao; Yi Han Xia; Lianna W. Wat; George P. Brownrigg; Ziwei Sun; Paige J. Basner-C...; Ramon I. Klein Ge...; Elizabeth J. Rideout
• Keywords: Male; 0301 basic medicine; Diet; 03 medical and health sciences; Drosophila melanogaster; Larva; Animals; Body Size; Drosophila Proteins; Insulin; Drosophila; Female; Insulin Resistance; Sugars

In Drosophila, changes to dietary protein elicit different body size responses between the sexes. Whether these differential effects extend other macronutrients remains unclear. Here, we show that lowering sugar (0S diet) enhanced in male and female larvae. Despite an equivalent phenotypic effect sexes, detected sex-specific signalling pathways, transcription whole-body glycogen protein. males, low-sugar diet augmented insulin/insulin-like growth factor pathway (IIS) activity by increasing insulin sensitivity, where increased IIS was required for metabolic 0S. females reared on low sugar, sensitivity were unaffected, function did not fully account responses. Instead, identified a female-biased requirement Target of rapamycin regulating Together, our data suggest mechanisms underlying low-sugar-induced increase are shared highlighting importance including males larval studies even when similar outcomes observed.