Drosophila Neuronal Glucose 6 Phosphatase is a modulator of Neuropeptide Release that regulates muscle glycogen stores via FMRFamide signaling.
Institutional Repository Document
Overview
Research
Identity
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
Neuropeptides (NPs) and their cognate receptors are critical molecular effectors of diverse physiological processes and behaviors. We recently reported of a non-canonical function of the Drosophila Glucose-6-Phosphatase ( G6P ) gene in a subset of neurosecretory cells in the CNS that governs systemic glucose homeostasis in food deprived flies. Here, we show that G6P expressing neurons define 7 groups of neuropeptide secreting cells, 5 in the brain and 2 in the thoracic ganglia. Using the glucose homeostasis phenotype as a screening tool, we show that one such group, located in the thoracic ganglia and expressing FMRFamide ( FMRFa G6P ) neuropeptides, is necessary and sufficient to maintain systemic glucose homeostasis in starved flies. We further show that the receptor for FMRFamides (FMRFaR) is one key target of G6P dependent NP signaling and essential for the build-up of glycogen stores in the jump muscle. Lastly, measurements of the Golgi apparatus of FMRFa G6P neurons and neuropeptide released into the hemolymph suggests that G6P enhances FMRFa signaling by increasing the capacity of the neurosecretory system. We propose a general model in which the main role of G6P is to counteract glycolysis in peptidergic neurons for the purpose of optimizing the intracellular environment best suited for the expansion of the Golgi apparatus, boosting release of neuropeptides, which through the activation of specific neuropeptide receptors, enhances signaling in respective target tissues.
