Insulin signaling regulates R2 retrotransposon expression to orchestrate transgenerational rDNA copy number maintenance
2025

Insulin Signaling and R2 Retrotransposon Control in Drosophila

Sample size: 123 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Jonathan O. Nelson, Alyssa Slicko, Amelie A. Raz, Yukiko M. Yamashita

Primary Institution: Stony Brook University

Hypothesis

How does insulin signaling regulate R2 retrotransposon expression to maintain rDNA copy number across generations?

Conclusion

Insulin signaling regulates R2 expression, which is crucial for maintaining ribosomal DNA copy number in Drosophila germline stem cells.

Supporting Evidence

  • Insulin receptor expression decreases when rDNA copy number is low.
  • R2 expression is necessary for rDNA magnification.
  • High-calorie diets suppress rDNA magnification activity.

Takeaway

This study shows that insulin helps control a special gene that keeps important DNA parts safe for future generations of fruit flies.

Methodology

Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to identify gene expression changes in germline stem cells under different rDNA copy number conditions.

Participant Demographics

Drosophila melanogaster males

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.01

Confidence Interval

±95% CI

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/s41467-024-55725-6

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