Enteric neurons and systemic signals couple nutritional and reproductive status with intestinal homeostasis.
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Cognigni, P
Bailey, AP
Miguel-Aliaga, I
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract is emerging as a key regulator of appetite and metabolism, but daunting neuroanatomical complexity has hampered identification of the relevant signals. Invertebrate models could provide a simple and genetically amenable alternative, but their autonomic nervous system and its visceral functions remain largely unexplored. Here we develop a quantitative method based on defecation behavior to uncover a central role for the Drosophila intestine in the regulation of nutrient intake, fluid, and ion balance. We then identify a key homeostatic role for autonomic neurons and hormones, including a brain-gut circuit of insulin-producing neurons modulating appetite, a vasopressin-like system essential for fluid homeostasis, and enteric neurons mediating sex peptide-induced changes in intestinal physiology. These conserved mechanisms of visceral control, analogous to those found in the enteric nervous system and hypothalamic/pituitary axis, enable the study of autonomic control in a model organism that has proved instrumental in understanding sensory and motor systems.
Date Issued
2011-01-05
Start Page
92
End Page
104
Journal / Book Title
Cell Metab
Volume
13
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Cell Metabolism. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Cell Metabolism, 13(1), 2011 DOI10.1016/j.cmet.2010.12.010
Identifier
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195352
S1550-4131(10)00452-3
Coverage Spatial
United States