Lipocalin Gene Expression Is Varied in Developmental Stages by Larval Nutritional Stress in Drosophila

Abstract

Lipocalin genes NLaz, GLaz, and Karl are evolutionarily conserved genes in Drosophila melanogaster. There are studies on lipocalin gene expression differences under diverse diet conditions, but these studies have focused mainly on age-dependent expression profiles of these genes. The main aim of our study is to determine lipocalin expression in the developmental period by nutritional manipulation with an isofemale-based design. Three larval developmental periods have been researched under normal and restricted diets. We found significant differences between lines during their developmental time-related lipocalin expression. Here, we demonstrate that upregulations in the early developmental stages of lipocalin genes under stressful conditions resulted in unaffected developmental time. The possible reason for high expression is the activation of stress signal pathways in order to buffer the harmful effects of nutritional restriction. Our data showed that the early developmental period (48-72 h) is especially crucial to tolerate the dietary stress with respect to GLaz and NLaz expression. Results of this experiment have shown that the expression profiles of lipocalin genes have line-specific pathways to nutritional stress. Their expression depends on the genetic background corresponding to development time results. Our results highlight the transcriptional changes of lipocalins associated with developmental time in larvae, developed in a dietary-restricted medium.