Premium
Polyunsaturated fatty acid derived signaling in reproduction and development: Insights from Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster
Author(s) -
Vrablik Tracy L.,
Watts Jennifer L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.22167
Subject(s) - biology , drosophila melanogaster , caenorhabditis elegans , polyunsaturated fatty acid , microbiology and biotechnology , multicellular organism , genetics , cell signaling , model organism , signal transduction , fatty acid , gene , biochemistry
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exhibit a diverse range of critical functions in biological systems. PUFAs modulate the biophysical properties of membranes and, along with their derivatives, the eicosanoids and endocannabinoids, form a wide array potent lipid signaling molecules. Much of our early understanding of PUFAs and PUFA‐derived signaling stems from work in mammals; however, technological advances have made comprehensive lipid analysis possible in small genetic models such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster . These models have a number of advantages, such as simple anatomy and genome‐wide genetic screening techniques, which can broaden our understanding of fatty‐acid‐derived signaling in biological systems. Here we review what is known about PUFAs, eicosanoids, and endocannabinoids in the development and reproduction of C. elegans and D. melanogaster . Fatty acid signaling appears to be fundamental for multicellular organisms, and simple invertebrates often employ functionally similar pathways. In particular, studies in C. elegans and Drosophila are providing insight into the roles of PUFAs and PUFA‐derived signaling in early developmental processes, such as meiosis, fertilization, and early embryonic cleavage. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 244–259, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.