UC San Diego bioengineers visualize fat storage in fruit flies (IMAGE)
Caption
In this graphic, the images represent lipid metabolism in fruit flies fed different diets. The color coding tracks different rates of lipid turnover. White areas, for example, are labeled at "0.20" This means that 20% of the fat molecules in that area of the lipid droplet "turned over." This means that new fats were stored, and then they were taken out of storage. A higher lipid turnover rate represents a more active lipid metabolism. Compared to a standard diet, all three diets increased lipid turnover rate, though different mechanisms could be at play. Older visualization platforms do not allow researchers to see changes in lipid metabolism, such as lipid turnover rate, within individual fat cells. This is the first technology that allows researchers to collect high resolution sub-cellular information in both time and space from fruit fly fat body cells.
Credit
Lingyan Shi / UC San Diego Bioengineering
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License
CC BY