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Updated: Nov 2, 2025
Quantification of Macronutrients Intake in a Thermogenetic Neuronal Screen using Drosophila Larvae
Published on: June 11, 2020
Serotonin signaling modulates aging-associated metabolic network integrity in response to nutrient choice in
Yang Lyu1, Daniel E L Promislow2,3, Scott D Pletcher4
1Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Geriatrics Center, Biomedical Sciences and Research Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. yanglyu@umich.edu.
Abstract:
Aging arises from complex interactions among multiple biochemical products. Systems-level analyses of biological networks may provide insights into the causes and consequences of aging that evade single-gene studies. We have previously found that dietary choice is sufficient to modulate aging in the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Here we show that nutrient choice influenced several measures of metabolic network integrity, including connectivity, community structure, and robustness. Importantly, these effects are mediated by serotonin signaling, as a mutation in serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A) eliminated the effects of nutrient choice. Changes in network structure were associated with organism resilience and increased susceptibility to genetic perturbation. Our data suggest that the behavioral or perceptual consequences of exposure to individual macronutrients, involving serotonin signaling through 5-HT2A, qualitatively change the state of metabolic networks throughout the organism from one that is highly connected and robust to one that is fragmented, fragile, and vulnerable to perturbations.
