Coupling of growth to nutritional status: The role of novel periphery-to-brain signaling by the CCHa2 peptide in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

The coupling of growth to nutritional status is an important adaptive response of living organisms to their environment. For this ability, animals have evolved various strategies, including endocrine systems that respond to changing nutritional conditions. In animals, nutritional information is mostly perceived by peripheral organs, such as the digestive tract and adipose tissues, and is subsequently transmitted to other peripheral organs or the brain, which integrates the incoming signals and orchestrates physiological and behavioral responses. In Drosophila melanogaster, adipose tissue, known as the fat body, functions as an endocrine organ that communicates with the brain. This fat body-brain axis coordinates growth with nutritional status by regulating the secretion of Drosophila insulin-like peptides (Dilps) from the brain. However, the molecular nature of the fat body-brain axis remains to be elucidated. We recently demonstrated that a small peptide, CCHamide-2 (CCHa2), expressed in the fat body and gut, directly stimulates its receptor (CCHa2-R) in the brain, leading to Dilp production. Notably, the expression of CCHa2 is sensitive to the presence of nutrients, particularly sugars. Our results, together with the results of previous studies, show that signaling between peripheral organs and the brain is a conserved strategy that couples nutritional availability to organismal physiology.