Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33242659›Full record

ArticleMolecular metabolism2021

A multicomponent screen for feeding behaviour and nutritional status in Drosophila to interrogate mammalian appetite-related genes.

J Chalmers, Y C L Tung, C H Liu, C J O'Kane, S O'Rahilly, G S H Yeo

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 52% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

J ChalmersMedical Research Council (MRC) Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: jenniferchalmers25@gmail.com.
Y C L TungMedical Research Council (MRC) Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: lyct2@cam.ac.uk.
C H LiuDepartment of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Cambridge University, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK. Electronic address: bob0508@gmail.com.
C J O'KaneDepartment of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK. Electronic address: c.okane@gen.cam.ac.uk.
S O'RahillyMedical Research Council (MRC) Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: so104@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
G S H YeoMedical Research Council (MRC) Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: gshy2@cam.ac.uk.
Medical Research Council · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GBAddenbrooke's Hospital · GBWellcome Trust · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_UU_00014/1Medical Research Council MC_UU_00014/5Medical Research Council MC_UU_12012/1Medical Research Council MC_UU_12012/2Medical Research Council MC_UU_12012/5Medical Research Council MR/S026193/1Wellcome Trust WT 095515/Z/11/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveMore than 300 genetic variants have been robustly associated with measures of human adiposity. Highly penetrant mutations causing human obesity do so largely by disrupting satiety pathways in the brain and increasing food intake. Most of the common obesity-predisposing variants are in, or near, genes expressed highly in the brain, but little is known of their function. Exploring the biology of these genes at scale in mammalian systems is challenging. We sought to establish and validate the use of a multicomponent screen for feeding behaviour phenotypes, taking advantage of the tractable model organism Drosophila melanogaster.

methodsWe validated a screen for feeding behaviour in Drosophila by comparing results after disrupting the expression of centrally expressed genes that influence energy balance in flies to those of 10 control genes. We then used this screen to explore the effects of disrupted expression of genes either a) implicated in energy homeostasis through human genome-wide association studies (GWAS) or b) expressed and nutritionally responsive in specific populations of hypothalamic neurons with a known role in feeding/fasting.

resultsUsing data from the validation study to classify responses, we studied 53 Drosophila orthologues of genes implicated by human GWAS in body mass index and found that 15 significantly influenced feeding behaviour or energy homeostasis in the Drosophila screen. We then studied 50 Drosophila homologues of 47 murine genes reciprocally nutritionally regulated in POMC and agouti-related peptide neurons. Seven of these 50 genes were found by our screen to influence feeding behaviour in flies.

conclusionWe demonstrated the utility of Drosophila as a tractable model organism in a high-throughput genetic screen for food intake phenotypes. This simple, cost-efficient strategy is ideal for high-throughput interrogation of genes implicated in feeding behaviour and obesity in mammals and will facilitate the process of reaching a functional understanding of obesity pathogenesis.

Indexed as

AnimalsAppetiteBody Mass IndexBrainDrosophila melanogasterEnergy MetabolismFeeding BehaviorGenome-Wide Association StudyGenotypeHomeostasisHypothalamusNeuronsNutritional StatusObesityPhenotypeAppetiteDrosophilaFood intakeGWASObesityTranscriptomics

Identifiers

PMID33242659
PMCPMC7753202
OpenAlexW3109586495

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.