Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 9 authors, 4 centres
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This study identified the Drosophila gene Iditarod (Idit) as a homolog of mammalian FNDC5/Irisin and demonstrated it is necessary for exercise endurance, cold tolerance, and exercise-induced cardiac autophagy in fruit flies, suggesting conserved functions across species.
Researchers identified and characterized Iditarod (Idit), a Drosophila homolog of mammalian FNDC5/Irisin, through a genetic screen for autophagy regulators. Experiments in fruit flies showed that Idit deficiency led to impaired exercise endurance and cold tolerance, while overexpression increased endurance. Idit was required for exercise-induced cardiac autophagy, as measured by Atg8 levels, and for stress resistance. The study suggests that the Idit/Irisin/FNDC5 protein family has evolutionarily conserved roles in autophagy regulation and exercise physiology, with implications for understanding ancient metabolic control mechanisms.
