The regulation of triglyceride storage by Acsx4 and Acsx5 in Drosophila fat tissue.

The production of energy is one of the most fundamental requirements for organismal survival. Decreasing expression of Drosophila 9G8 , an mRNA splicing protein, specifically in adipose tissue results in triglyceride accumulation. Decreasing 9G8 in adipose also results in upregulation of the acyl-CoA synthetases Acsx4 and Acsx5 ; however, the functions of these genes in regulating lipid metabolism is not fully understood. Here, we decreased Acsx4 and Acsx5 in fly adipose tissue and this resulted in high triglycerides. This suggests that these genes regulate lipid breakdown, and their upregulation is perhaps compensating for the triglyceride accumulation observed when 9G8 levels are decreased.