Figure 1
buffy mutants are sensitive to starvation, store less lipid and glycogen yet are capable of mobilizing fat stores. (A) buffy mutants are twofold more sensitive to acute starvation conditions. Fed third instars (73 h after egg laying) were transferred to a water-only diet (buffyH37, n = 426; wild-type, n = 329). The graph indicates the percentage of transferred larvae that survived (dark bars: buffyH37, 29%; wild-type, 65%), that died as larvae (dark gray bars: buffyH37, 37%; wild-type, 22%) and that died as pupae (light gray bars: buffyH37, 34%; wild-type, 14%). (B) DEVDase activity of larval lysates for the indicated genotypes fed complete medium or after amino-acid starvation (three assays, each normalized to wild-type fed ± SEM). (C) Fat bodies from fed third instar larvae stain intensely with Nile Red. (D) Lipid droplets within buffy mutant fat body cells are smaller and stain less intensely compared to wild-type when third instar larvae were reared in restrictive media (20% cornmeal/yeast/agar food, 1.8% sucrose). Fat bodies stained with Nile Red. (E) Lipids accumulate in oenocytes when larvae are starved. Nile red stain of wild-type (left panels) and buffy mutant (right panels) oenocytes from fed larvae (top panels) or starved larvae (bottom panels).