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Phosphate-storing organelle discovered in fruit flies

Inorganic phosphate is an essential mineral for cellular metabolism and signalling. It emerges that a fruit-fly organelle can store this chemical in the form of phospholipids, releasing it in times of need.
  1. Emily Strachan

    1. Emily Strachan is at the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK.

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  2. Irene Miguel-Aliaga

    1. Irene Miguel-Aliaga is at the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK.

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Without inorganic phosphate (Pi), our cells would have no DNA, no ATP molecules to store energy and no phospholipids to form membranes. However, researchers do not fully understand how phosphate is metabolized or stored in animal cells, nor how it might act as a signal that allows cells to communicate1. Writing in Nature, Xu et al.2 have identified an organelle in the guts of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) that can store Pi. The discovery sheds light on how flies maintain Pi levels to safeguard against starvation.

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Nature 617, 677-678 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01410-5

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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