View Program - 63rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference

As the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, progresses from one life stage to the next, many of the enzymes that compose intermediary metabolism undergo substantial changes in both expression and activity. These predictable shifts in metabolic flux allows the fly to meet stage-specific requirements for energy production and biosynthesis. In this regard, the enzyme Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH1) was the focus of biochemical genetics studies for several decades, and as a result, is one of the most well characterized enzymes within Drosophila metabolism. Among the findings of these earlier studies is that GPDH1 promotes mitochondrial energy production and triglyceride accumulation while also serving a key role in maintaining cellular redox balance. Moreover, GPDH1 activity is regulated in a stage-specific manner, suggesting that this enzyme plays an essential role in coordinating metabolism with developmental progression. Here we extend these earlier observations using metabolomics to expand upon these earlier observations. Our studies reveal that Gpdh1 mutants exhibit severe defects in amino acid metabolism, with both the maternal and zygotic GPDH1 enzyme pools influencing amino acid abundance. Moreover, our preliminary studies indicate that GPDH1 indirectly regulates growth signaling in larval tissues by controlling abundance of dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Overall, our results reiterate the importance of GPDH1 activity in larval development and reveal how this enzyme can control growth by previously unappreciated mechanisms.

Investigating the role of Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPDH1) in Drosophila growth and development

**Investigating the role of Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPDH1) in Drosophila growth and development**