cGMP-dependent protein kinase: linking foraging to energy homeostasis

Successful foraging is necessary for procurement of nutritional resources essential for an animal's survival. Maintenance of foraging and food acquisition is dependent on the ability to balance food intake and energy expenditure. This review examines the role of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) as a regulator of foraging behaviour, food acquisition, and energy balance. The role of PKG in food-related behaviours is highly conserved among worms, flies, bees, ants, and mammals. A growing body of literature suggests that PKG plays an integral role in the component behaviours and physiologies underlying foraging behaviour. These include energy acquisition, nutrient absorption, nutrient allocation, nutrient storage, and energy use. New evidence suggests that PKG mediates both neural and physiological mechanisms underlying these processes. This review illustrates how investigating the role of PKG in energy homeostasis in a diversity of organisms can offer a broad perspective on the mechanisms mediating energy balance.