A modified gas-trapping method for high-throughput metabolic experiments in Drosophila melanogaster

Francis, Deanne;Krycer, James R;Cooney, Gregory J;James, David E

Abstract

Metabolism is often studied in animal models, with the Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly model offering ease of genetic manipulation and high-throughput studies. Fly metabolism is typically studied using end-point assays that are simple but destructive, and do not provide information on the utilization of specific nutrients. To address these limitations, we adapted existing gas-trapping protocols to measure the oxidation of radiolabeled substrates (such as glucose) in multi-well plates. This protocol is cost effective, simple, and offers precise control over experimental diet and measurement time, thus being amenable to high-throughput studies. Furthermore, it is nondestructive, enabling time-course experiments and multiplexing with other parameters. Overall, this protocol is useful for merging fly genetics with metabolic studies to understand whole organism responses to different macronutrients.

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BioTechniques

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1940-9818

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Informa Healthcare

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DOI

10.2144/btn-2019-0062