Description
We compared Seven-up-dependent gene expression in the Drosophila fat body on control and high-sugar diets in order to gain insight into the role of this gene during caloric overload. Phenotypic analyses showed an increased severity of Seven-up RNAi phenotypes with increasing dietary sugar concentration. Because Seven-up is a transcription factor, we performed RNA-seq studies to identify transcriptional targets that might underlie insulin resistance downstream of Seven-up RNAi. Our data support a model where Seven-up promotes insulin signaling by inhibiting ecdysone receptor target gene expression. Overall design: Control and fat body-expressed Seven-up RNAi Drosophila were reared on control (0.15M sucrose) and high-sugar (0.7M sucrose) diets until the wandering stage. Fat bodies were isolated and RNA extracted to determine the effects of diet on gene expression using Illumina RNA-seq.