Ancestral dietary change alters the development of Drosophila larvae through MAPK signalling
Date
2022
Authors
Towarnicki, S.G.
Youngson, N.A.
Corley, S.M.
St John, J.C.
Melvin, R.G.
Turner, N.
Morris, M.J.
Ballard, J.W.O.
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Journal article
Citation
Fly, 2022; 16(1):299-311
Statement of Responsibility
Samuel G. Towarnicki, Neil A. Youngson, Susan M. Corley, Jus C. St. John, Richard G. Melvin, Nigel Turner, Margaret J. Morris, and J. William O. Ballard
Conference Name
Abstract
Studies in a broad range of animal species have revealed phenotypes that are caused by ancestral life experiences, including stress and diet. Ancestral dietary macronutrient composition and quantity (over- and under-nutrition) have been shown to alter descendent growth, metabolism and behaviour. Molecules have been identified in gametes that are changed by ancestral diet and are required for transgenerational effects. However, there is less understanding of the developmental pathways altered by inherited molecules during the period between fertilization and adulthood. To investigate this non-genetic inheritance, we exposed great grand-parental and grand-parental generations to defined protein to carbohydrate (P:C) dietary ratios. Descendent developmental timing was consistently faster in the period between the embryonic and pupal stages when ancestors had a higher P:C ratio diet. Transcriptional analysis revealed extensive and long-lasting changes to the MAPK signalling pathway, which controls growth rate through the regulation of ribosomal RNA transcription. Pharmacological inhibition of both MAPK and rRNA pathways recapitulated the ancestral diet-induced developmental changes. This work provides insight into non-genetic inheritance between fertilization and adulthood.
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© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.