Growth regulation by amino acid transporters in Drosophila larvae

Drosophila larvae need to adapt their metabolism to reach a critical body size to pupate. This process needs food resources and has to be tightly adjusted to control metamorphosis timing and adult size. Nutrients such as amino acids either directly present in the food or obtained via protein digestion play key regulatory roles in controlling metabolism and growth. Amino acids act especially on two organs, the fat body and the brain, to control larval growth, body size developmental timing and pupariation. The expression of specific amino acid transporters in fat body cells, and in the brain through specific neurons and glial cells is essential to activate downstream molecular signaling pathways in response to amino acid levels. In this review, we highlight some of these specific networks dependent on amino acid diet to control DILP levels, and by consequence larval metabolism and growth.