Biology subjects

Elias, A. P.

Publications and source records attributed to Elias, A. P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Lack of Single Amino Acids Transcriptionally Remodels Sensory Systems to Enhance the Intake of Protein and Microbiota

Adequate intake of dietary essential amino acids (eAAs) is vital for protein synthesis and metabolism. Any single eAA deprivation is sufficient to increase protein intake in Drosophila melanogaster. How such nutritional "needs" are transformed into behavioral "wants" remains poorly understood. We derived transcriptomes from the heads of flies deprived of individual eAAs to identify mechanisms by which this is achieved. We found that, while specific eAA deprivations have unique effects on gene expression, a large set of changes are shared across deprivations. We show that Or92a upregulation upon eAA deprivation increases the exploitation of yeast, the main protein source of flies. Furthermore, Ir76a upregulation was crucial for feeding on Lactobacillus, a gut bacterium that ameliorates the fitness of eAA-deprived flies. Our work uncovers common and unique transcriptional changes induced by individual eAA deprivations in an animal and reveals novel mechanisms underlying the organisms behavioral and physiological response to eAA challenges.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Metabolic cross-feeding allows a gut microbial community to overcome detrimental diets and alter host behaviour

The impact of commensal bacteria on the host arises from complex microbial-diet-host interactions. Mapping metabolic interactions in gut microbial communities is therefore key to understand how the microbiome influences the host. Here we use an interdisciplinary approach including isotope-resolved metabolomics to show that in Drosophila melanogaster, Aceto-bacter pomorum (Ap) and Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) establish a syntrophic relationship to overcome detrimental host diets and identify Ap as the bacterium altering the hosts feeding decisions. Specifically, we show that Lp generates lactate which is used by Ap to produce and provide amino acids that are essential to Lp allowing it to grow in imbalanced diets. Lactate is also necessary and sufficient for Ap to alter the flys protein appetite. Our data show that gut bacterial communities use metabolic interactions to become resilient to detrimental host diets and to ensure the constant flow of metabolites used by effector bacteria to alter host behaviour.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Cellular metabolic reprogramming controls sugar appetite

Cellular metabolic reprogramming is an important mechanism by which cells rewire their metabolism to promote proliferation and cell growth. This process has been mostly studied in the context of tumorigenesis and less is known about its relevance for non-pathological processes and how it affects whole animal physiology. Here, we show that Drosophila female germline cells reprogram their carbohydrate metabolism, upregulating the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) to produce eggs. Strikingly, this cellular reprogramming strongly impacts nutrient preferences. PPP activity in the germline specifically increases the animals appetite for sugar, the key nutrient fueling this metabolic pathway. We furthermore provide functional evidence that the germline alters sugar appetite by regulating the expression of the fat body secreted satiety factor fit. The cellular metabolic program of a small set of cells is therefore able to increase the animals preference for specific nutrients through inter-organ communication to promote specific metabolic and cellular outcomes.

physiology↗