The Drosophila gut: A gatekeeper and coordinator of organism fitness and physiology.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Multicellular organisms have evolved organs and tissues with highly specialized tasks. For instance, nutrients are assimilated by the gut, sensed, processed, stored, and released by adipose tissues and liver to provide energy consumed by peripheral organ activities. The function of each organ is modified by local clues and systemic signals derived from other organs to ensure a coordinated response accommodating the physiological needs of the organism. The intestine, which represents one of the largest interfaces between the internal and external environment, plays a key role in sensing and relaying environmental inputs such as nutrients and microbial derivatives to other organs to produce systemic responses. In turn, gut physiology and immunity are regulated by multiple signals emanating from other organs including the brain and the adipose tissues. In this review, we highlight physiological processes where the gut serves as a key organ in coupling systemic signals or environmental cues with organism growth, metabolism, immune activity, aging, or behavior. Robust strategies involving intraorgan and interorgan signaling pathways have evolved to preserve gut size in homeostatic conditions and restrict growth during damage-induced regenerative phases. Here we review some of the mechanisms that maintain gut size homeostasis and point out known examples of homeostasis-breaking event

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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