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Science 27 March 2009:
Vol. 323. no. 5922, pp. 1740 - 1743
DOI: 10.1126/science.1165712
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Reports

Changes in Temperature Preferences and Energy Homeostasis in Dystroglycan Mutants

Ken-ichi Takeuchi,1,2 Yoshiro Nakano,3 Utako Kato,1 Mizuho Kaneda,2 Masako Aizu,2 Wakae Awano,4 Shigenobu Yonemura,5 Shigeki Kiyonaka,6 Yasuo Mori,6 Daisuke Yamamoto,7 Masato Umeda1,2*

Temperature affects the physiology, behavior, and evolution of organisms. We conducted mutagenesis and screens for mutants with altered temperature preference in Drosophila melanogaster and identified a cryophilic (cold-seeking) mutant, named atsugari (atu). Reduced expression of the Drosophila ortholog of dystroglycan (DmDG) induced tolerance to cold as well as preference for the low temperature. A sustained increase in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism caused by the reduced expression of DmDG accounted for the cryophilic phenotype of the atu mutant. Although most ectothermic animals do not use metabolically produced heat to regulate body temperature, our results indicate that their thermoregulatory behavior is closely linked to rates of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and that a mutation in a single gene can induce a sustained change in energy homeostasis and the thermal responses.

1 Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan.
2 The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8613, Japan.
3 Department of Genetics, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya 663-8501, Japan.
4 Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Machida, Tokyo 194-8511, Japan.
5 RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
6 Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
7 Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: umeda{at}scl.kyoto-u.ac.jp

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
HIGH METABOLIC RATE FLIES LIKE IT COLD.
C. Darveau (2009)
J. Exp. Biol. 212, v
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