Many studies show that genetics play a major contribution to the onset of obesity. Human genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of genes that are associated with obesity. However, the majority of them have not been functionally validated. SEC16B has been identified in multiple obesity GWASs but its physiological role in energy homeostasis remains unknown. Here, we use Drosophila to determine the physiological functions of dSec16 in energy metabolism. Our results showed that global RNAi of dSec16 increased food intake and triglyceride (TAG) levels. Furthermore, this TAG increase was observed in flies with a specific RNAi of dSec16 in insulin-like peptide producing cells (IPCs) with an alteration of endocrine peptides. Together, our study demonstrates that dSec16 acting in IPCs controls energy balance and advances the molecular understanding of obesity.
Keywords: GWAS; SEC16B; Sec16; dSec16; food intake; insulin-like peptide producing cells; obesity; starvation; triglyceride.