Pichaud, N., Messmer, M., Correa, C.C., Ballard, J.W. (2013). Diet influences the intake target and mitochondrial functions of Drosophila melanogaster males.  Mitochondrion 13(6): 817--822.

FBrf0223189

Research paper

In this study, we examine the dietary protein to carbohydrate ratio (P:C) on the mitochondrial functions of two Drosophila melanogaster mtDNA haplotypes. We investigated multiple physiological parameters on flies fed with either 1:12 P:C or 1:3 P:C diets. Our results provide experimental evidence that a specific haplotype has a reduction of complex I activity when the flies are fed with the 1:12 P:C diet. This study is of particular importance to understand the influence of diet on mitochondrial evolution in invasive and broadly distributed species including humans.