title: Endocrine remodelling of the adult intestine sustains reproduction in Drosophila.
abstract: The production of offspring is energetically costly and relies on incompletely understood mechanisms that generate a positive energy balance. In mothers of many species, changes in key energy-associated internal organs are common yet poorly characterised functionally and mechanistically. In this study, we show that, in adult Drosophila females, the midgut is dramatically remodelled to enhance reproductive output. In contrast to extant models, organ remodelling does not occur in response to increased nutrient intake and/or offspring demands, but rather precedes them. With spatially and temporally directed manipulations, we identify juvenile hormone (JH) as an anticipatory endocrine signal released after mating. Acting through intestinal bHLH-PAS domain proteins Methoprene-tolerant (Met) and Germ cell-expressed (Gce), JH signals directly to intestinal progenitors to yield a larger organ, and adjusts gene expression and sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) activity in enterocytes to support increased lipid metabolism. Our findings identify a metabolically significant paradigm of adult somatic organ remodelling linking hormonal signals, epithelial plasticity, and reproductive output.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reiff
authors.affiliation: MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cognigni
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Zeus
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Antonello
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ballesta
authors.affiliation: Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kah Junn
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Joanne Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yew
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.affiliation: MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miguel-Aliaga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D007605:Juvenile Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D012098:Reproduction
chemical_list: D007605:Juvenile Hormones
keywords: D. melanogaster; developmental biology; intestine; organ plasticity; stem cells