title: Mapping an atlas of tissue-specific Drosophila melanogaster metabolomes by high resolution mass spectrometry.
abstract: Metabolomics can provide exciting insights into organismal function, but most work on simple models has focussed on the whole organism metabolome, so missing the contributions of individual tissues. Comprehensive metabolite profiles for ten tissues from adult Drosophila melanogaster were obtained here by two chromatographic methods, a hydrophilic interaction (HILIC) method for polar metabolites and a lipid profiling method also based on HILIC, in combination with an Orbitrap Exactive instrument. Two hundred and forty two polar metabolites were putatively identified in the various tissues, and 251 lipids were observed in positive ion mode and 61 in negative ion mode. Although many metabolites were detected in all tissues, every tissue showed characteristically abundant metabolites which could be rationalised against specific tissue functions. For example, the cuticle contained high levels of glutathione, reflecting a role in oxidative defence; the alimentary canal (like vertebrate gut) had high levels of acylcarnitines for fatty acid metabolism, and the head contained high levels of ether lipids. The male accessory gland uniquely contained decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine. These data thus both provide valuable insights into tissue function, and a reference baseline, compatible with the FlyAtlas.org transcriptomic resource, for further metabolomic analysis of this important model organism, for example in the modelling of human inborn errors of metabolism, aging or metabolic imbalances such as diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Venkateswara R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Chintapalli
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Bratty
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Korzekwa
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Julian A T
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D055442:Metabolome; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C012702:S-adenosyl-3-methylthiopropylamine; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine; D005978:Glutathione