Commensal bacteria and essential amino acids control food choice behavior and reproduction

Summary

Choosing the right nutrients to consume is essential to health and wellbeing across species. However, the factors that influence these decisions are poorly understood. This is particularly true for dietary proteins, which are important determinants of lifespan and reproduction. We show that in Drosophila melanogaster, essential amino acids (eAAs) and the concerted action of the commensal bacteria Acetobacter pomorum and Lactobacilli are critical modulators of food choice. Using a chemically defined diet, we show that the absence of any single eAA from the diet is sufficient to elicit specific appetites for amino acid (AA)-rich food. Furthermore, commensal bacteria buffer the animal from the lack of dietary eAAs: both increased yeast appetite and decreased reproduction induced by eAA deprivation are rescued by the presence of commensals. Surprisingly, these effects do not seem to be due to changes in AA titers, suggesting that gut bacteria act through a different mechanism to change behavior and reproduction. Thus, eAAs and commensal bacteria are potent modulators of feeding decisions and reproductive output. This demonstrates how the interaction of specific nutrients with the microbiome can shape behavioral decisions and life history traits.

Key Points

• 1Essential amino acids are potent drivers of feeding behavior in Drosophila
• 2Commensal bacteria buffer the effects of essential amino acid deprivation
• 3The interaction between diet and gut microbiota affects reproductive success
• 4Specific nutrients, especially essential amino acids, guide dietary choices over others
• 5The study suggests a novel mechanism for how microbiota influence host behavior and nutrition.

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