Yuto Yoshinari 1,2, Maiko Abe 3, Ryo Hoshino 3, Yosuke Mizuno3 , Yoshitomo Kurogi 3, Eisuke Imura 3,7, Akira Nakamura 4,5, Fuminori Tsuruta 6, Ryusuke Niwa 2 & Takashi Nishimura 1 1 Metabolic Regulation and Genetics, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan, 2 Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, 3 Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, 4 Department of Germline Development, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan, 5 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan, 6 Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, 7 Present address: Department of Entomology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA. *: Correspondence
About
A research group led by Assistant Professor Yuto Yoshinari and Professor Takashi Nishimura of the Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Genetics, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, used the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to reveal the function of CG14075/Marmite (Mmt), a hormone-like peptide that acts during starvation.
Mmt is secreted from a neuroendocrine organ into the haemolymph in response to starvation and supports adaptation to nutrient deprivation by promoting amino acid metabolism, including threonine and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism. In flies lacking Mmt function, carbohydrate and lipid stores were excessively consumed, accompanied by amino acid accumulation and increased oxidative stress. The study further showed that Mmt cooperates with adipokinetic hormone (AKH), the insect glucagon-like hormone, to balance lipid and amino acid metabolism. These findings provide new insight into how organisms coordinate endocrine signalling, amino acid metabolism and oxidative stress defence during nutrient deprivation.
Paper information
Yoshinari Y, Abe M, Hoshino R, Mizuno Y, Kurogi Y, Imura E, Nakamura A, Tsuruta F, Niwa R, Nishimura T. CG14075/Mmt promotes amino acid catabolism and cooperates with AKH during starvation in Drosophila. Nat Commun. 2026
Online URL
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77687-7
