Dear All:

Institute of Molecular Medicine
Center for Life Sciences
IDG McGovern Institute for Brain Research
Research Seminar

 

Title：The hungry fly: neural regulation of energy homeostasis in Drosophila

Speaker：王立铭, Ph.D.
         浙江大学生命科学研究院教授

Time：2015年6月30日（星期二）上午10:00-11:00

Place：北京大学金光生命科学大楼邓祐才报告厅

Host：北京大学分子医学研究所       刘   颖(Tel. 6276-6523)

           北京大学分子医学研究所       陈晓伟(Tel. 6276-8919)

 

Abstract: The survival and well-being of animals rely on precisely maintained balance between energy intake and expenditure. The central nervous system (CNS) plays a crucial role in maintaining energy homeostasis. It determines fluctuations of the internal energy state and initiates or terminates energy intake behaviors accordingly. Moreover, the CNS is also able to adjust the energy intake behaviors upon various factors that are not directly linked to the internal energy state, such as the arousal and emotional state of animals and environmental conditions. However, despite its striking accuracy, the ability of the CNS to maintain energy homeostasis can be disrupted by sustained environmental challenges, including high fat diet, insomnia and stress, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of prevailing metabolic disorders in post-industrialized societies, such as eating disorders, obesity and type II diabetes. It is therefore of both scientific and clinical interest to elucidate the mechanism underlying the regulation of energy intake by the CNS. Our laboratory uses the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to study this problem. I will share our recent findings into the regulation of food intake behaviors and their implication in organismal energy homeostasis.