The Drosophila larval fat body serves as the fruit fly's liver, adipose tissue and immune system: it stores glycogen and triglycerides, promotes whole-animal growth, and directs the humoral arm of the innate immune system. This organ is highly responsive to inuslin signaling, making it a great model for finding new modifiers of the pathway.
SIGNALING THAT CONTROLS GROWTH AND METABOLISM
Insulin signaling drives cell growth and promotes glucose and lipid homeostasis in animals ranging from fruit flies to humans. Resistance to insulin can lead to type 2 diabetes, a serious metabolic disease that has become increasingly prevalent throughout the world.
We use forward genetics in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to identify novel, conserved regulators of insulin signaling. In so doing, we hope to find novel regulators of both nutrient metabolism and cell size that will be useful in the treatment of disease and that will further our fundamental understanding of how nutrients drive growth.