His fat made him do it: modulation of Drosophila courtship behavior by an adipose-expressed gene product

动物接收环境信息，将这些信息传递给中枢神经系统(CNS)，并发起或放弃特定的行为。为了弄清楚动物如何对不断变化的环境做出反应，有必要了解调节行为的神经回路的形成和功能，包括这些回路是如何调制的。由于脂肪信号与有动机的进食行为之间存在联系，来自脂肪组织的信号可能是调节中枢神经系统功能和各种行为的关键因素。卡尼实验室使用与人类基因相似的模式动物黑腹果蝇，研究脂肪信号的变化如何通过它们与中枢神经系统的相互作用来改变动物的行为。他们已经证明，脂肪组织产生的分子会影响行为，包括那些对生殖至关重要的行为。目前，该实验室正在使用遗传学和分子方法来确定一种新的候选脂肪因子(即脂肪衍生激素)的表达变化如何影响大脑功能和生殖行为。随着全球肥胖发生率的上升，准确了解来自脂肪组织的信号如何影响生理和行为变得越来越重要。这些发现将为更好地理解神经和脂肪信号的相互作用以及研究脂肪对行为的调节效应提供一个新的框架。通过与这项工作相关的研究和推广工作，将对研究生和本科生，特别是那些目前在STEM领域任职人数不足的学生，进行实验设计和批判性思维技能方面的培训。这些学生中的一些人将作为专业科学家使用这些技能，而另一些人将作为医生和其他公共卫生领域使用所获得的知识和技能，从而极大地扩大这种科学培训的范围。更多的努力将通过我们社区的互动演示让K-12学生参与到科学中来。

Animals receive environmental information, relay that information to the central nervous system (CNS) and either initiate or abstain from a particular behavior. To figure out how animals respond to changing environmental circumstances, it is necessary to understand the formation and function of the neural circuits that regulate the behaviors, including how these circuits are modulated. Since there is a link between fat signals and motivated eating behavior, it is possible that signals from fat tissue will be key players in regulating CNS function and a variety of behaviors. The Carney laboratory uses the model animal Drosophila melanogaster, which is genetically similar to humans, to figure out how changes in fat signals, via their interactions with the CNS, alter the behavior of animals. They have shown that molecules produced by fatty tissue influence behaviors, including those important for reproduction. Currently this lab is using genetic and molecular approaches to determine how changes in the expression of a novel, candidate adipokine (i.e., fat-derived hormone) affect brain function and reproductive behavior. As the occurrence of obesity rises worldwide, it becomes increasingly important to understand exactly how signals from fat tissue affect physiology and behavior. These findings will provide a better understanding of neural and fat signaling interactions as well as a novel framework for investigating modulatory effects of fat on behavior. Through the research and outreach efforts associated with this work, graduate and undergraduate students, particularly those currently underrepresented in STEM fields, will be trained in experimental design and critical thinking skills. Some of these students will utilize these skills as professional scientists, while others will use the acquired knowledge and skills as physicians and in other public health arenas, greatly expanding the reach of this scientific training. Additional efforts will engage K-12 students in science via interactive presentations in our community.