Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
05:57
Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats
Published on: June 27, 2014
13.3K
Fat body phospholipid state dictates hunger-driven feeding behavior.
Kevin P Kelly1, Mroj Alassaf1, Camille E Sullivan1
1Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutch, Seattle, United States.
Elife
|October 6, 2022
Summary
A high-sugar diet disrupts feeding behavior by altering fat cell phospholipids. Fruit fly studies reveal the enzyme Pect is crucial for regulating hunger and metabolic homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic regulation
- Nutrient sensing
- Insect models
Background:
- Diet-induced obesity impairs feeding behavior.
- Molecular mechanisms of feeding motivation are not fully understood.
- Drosophila melanogaster offers conserved nutrient sensing pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how adipocyte lipid composition changes affect feeding behavior.
- Identify molecular regulators of diet-induced feeding motivation.
- Explore the role of phospholipid metabolism in hunger regulation.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal high-sugar diet exposure in Drosophila.
- Lipidomics analysis of whole-body phospholipid profiles.
- Systematic genetic screen of phospholipid enzymes in adult fly adipocytes.
Main Results:
- Prolonged high-sugar diet reduced hunger-driven feeding response.
- High-sugar diet altered whole-body phospholipid profiles.
- Pect, a phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis enzyme, was identified as a key regulator.
- Disrupting Pect in fat cells caused insulin resistance and feeding loss.
Conclusions:
- Adipocyte phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) homeostasis is critical for regulating hunger.
- Pect/PCYT2 plays a causative role in adipocyte function and metabolic homeostasis.
- This study provides evidence linking PE phospholipid metabolism to feeding behavior regulation.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Regulation of Food Intake
333
Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
333
01:25Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst
301
Hunger and thirst are fundamental physiological drives crucial for maintaining homeostasis and ensuring the survival of both humans and animals. These drives are regulated through complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and sensory receptors.
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus...
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus...
301
01:24Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation
1.7K
During the initial hours of fasting, the body uses up its glycogen stores as an energy source. Once these glycogen reserves are depleted, the body begins breaking down stored triglycerides and structural proteins. During this stage, glycerol becomes a key substrate for gluconeogenesis, while free fatty acids undergo beta-oxidation to provide energy for tissues, such as skeletal muscle. In the fasting state, the body spares protein breakdown as much as possible to conserve muscle and structural...
1.7K
01:18Metabolic States of the Body: The Postabsorptive State
489
The postabsorptive state usually starts about four hours after a meal and lasts until the next meal is eaten. During this time, the digestive system stops absorbing nutrients, and the body uses stored energy reserves to maintain stable blood glucose levels.
Initially, glycogen stored in the liver is broken down to release glucose into the bloodstream, while glycogen in the muscles is broken down to supply glucose for energy directly within the muscle cells. As glycogen stores diminish,...
Initially, glycogen stored in the liver is broken down to release glucose into the bloodstream, while glycogen in the muscles is broken down to supply glucose for energy directly within the muscle cells. As glycogen stores diminish,...
489
01:40Hormonal Regulation
44.0K
Hormones regulate a significant portion of digestion through activation of the neuroendocrine system. The neuroendocrine system of digestion contains many different hormones all with multiple functions that are both, directly and indirectly, involved in digestion.
44.0K
01:38What are Lipids?
202.7K
Overview
202.7K