Phenotyping of Drosophila Melanogaster—A Nutritional Perspective

Abstract

The model organism Drosophila melanogaster was increasingly applied in nutrition research in recent years. A range of methods are available for the phenotyping of D. melanogaster, which are outlined in the first part of this review. The methods include determinations of body weight, body composition, food intake, lifespan, locomotor activity, reproductive capacity and stress tolerance. In the second part, the practical application of the phenotyping of flies is demonstrated via a discussion of obese phenotypes in response to high-sugar diet (HSD) and high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. HSD feeding and HFD feeding are dietary interventions that lead to an increase in fat storage and affect carbohydrate-insulin homeostasis, lifespan, locomotor activity, reproductive capacity and stress tolerance. Furthermore, studies regarding the impacts of HSD and HFD on the transcriptome and metabolome of D. melanogaster are important for relating phenotypic changes to underlying molecular mechanisms. Overall, D. melanogaster was demonstrated to be a valuable model organism with which to examine the pathogeneses and underlying molecular mechanisms of common chronic metabolic diseases in a nutritional context.

Ameliorative effect of bayberry leaves proanthocyanidins on high sugar diet induced Drosophila melanogaster

“…Subsequently, the mRNA levels of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism significantly altered in flies with HSD consumption ( Supplementary Figure S5 ). Our results revealed that 30%HSD intake led to the pathophysiological and transcriptional changes in Drosophila , which are consistent with the T2DM phenotype as previously reported ( Meshrif et al, 2022 ) ( Eickelberg et al, 2022 ). In the present study, HSD participated the growth and development stages of Drosophila , therefore affecting the organ development and insulin action, which in turn influenced the glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity of flies ( Cassim et al, 2018 ).…”

Insect Models in Nutrition Research

“…A HFD not only induced obesity but also caused heart dysfunction, which was found to be regulated by the TOR pathway [ 57 , 58 ]. HSD and HFD treatments increase fat storage in flies and also affect carbohydrate-insulin homeostasis, lifespan, locomotor activity, and stress tolerance [ 59 ].…”

“…Microarray analysis of adult flies on the different diets showed that only 2–3% of the ~18,000 genes were influenced by the diet [ 96 ]. Drosophila is therefore a valuable model in which to combine nutrigenomics with the analysis of longevity and metabolic diseases in relation to nutrition [ 59 , 96 ].…”

Fat Quality Impacts the Effect of a High-Fat Diet on the Fatty Acid Profile, Life History Traits and Gene Expression in Drosophila melanogaster

“…By applying the model organism D. melanogaster , the short- and long-term effects of feeding a high-energy diet can be systematically examined [ 11 , 12 ]. The fruit fly is characterized by a high reproductive rate, a short life cycle and a relatively short lifespan of 60–80 days.…”

“…The fruit fly is characterized by a high reproductive rate, a short life cycle and a relatively short lifespan of 60–80 days. Hence, the impact of dietary interventions on life-history traits, such as feeding, locomotor behavior, longevity, metabolism, reproductive capacity, and stress tolerance can be studied within a relatively short period of time and cost-effectively since sophisticated experimental equipment is often not required [ 12 ]. In addition, most of the core metabolic and signal transduction pathways are evolutionary highly conserved between D. melanogaster and mammals [ 13 ].…”