Evidence mapPaperPMID 41792134Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Tumor-induced orexigenic imbalance lowers protein appetite and drives early organ wasting symptoms.

Afroditi Petsakou, Elizabeth Filine, Matthew Li, Yuchen Chen, Alice Zheng, Norbert Perrimon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
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.

Afroditi PetsakouDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Afroditi.Petsakou@einsteinmed.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9612-5929
Elizabeth FilineDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7369-2237
Matthew LiDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-7611-0902
Yuchen ChenDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Alice ZhengDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2520-3857
Norbert PerrimonDepartment of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. perrimon@genetics.med.harvard.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7542-472X

Funding

Medical Scientist Training Program Training GrantT32GM145449 · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2025 to 2025
$1.3M
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) CGCATF-2021/100022Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute (NCI Division of Cancer Prevention) OT2 CA278685-01Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF) Good VibesNIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM145449
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer cachexia (CC) is characterized by organ wasting and ensuing involuntary weight loss. Despite advances, underlying mechanisms initiating CC remain unclear, including early symptoms like anorexia. Here, we use a fly gut-tumor model with a precise time-window before organ wasting starts. We show that tumor-induced factors involved in inflammation (unpaired 3/ Interleukin-6-like) and reduced insulin signaling (ImpL2/ Insulin Growth Factor Binding Protein) decrease NPF (Neuropeptide F/ Neuropeptide Y) in the brain prior to organ wasting. This early NPF decrease triggers low protein-specific food appetite and anorexia. We find that ImpL2 reduces NPF signaling while upd3 helps by concurrently affecting the blood brain barrier. Tumor-induced NPF decrease, and early reduction of protein appetite drive the onset of weight loss and exacerbate the risk of death during organ wasting. Altogether, we provide evidence for an early orexigenic brain imbalance causing low protein appetite that regulates the onset and outcome of organ wasting.

Indexed as

AppetiteCachexiaNeoplasmsAnimalsAnorexiaBrainDrosophila melanogasterDrosophila ProteinsNeuropeptide YSignal TransductionTranscription FactorsWeight LossDrosophila ProteinsNeuropeptide YTranscription Factors

Identifiers

PMID41792134
PMCPMC13086994

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.