science with elisa

It is well established that hormones are responsible for sending signals and delivering messages between organs. For example, in humans, the male reproductive system largely sends messages through testosterone, and oestrogen is the main messenger in the female reproductive system. However, what if molecules derived from food in the gut could also send messages to the male reproductive system?  The Gut Signalling and Metabolism group at the MRC LMS, led by Professor Irene Miguel-Aliaga, have been studying this in fruit flies ( Drosophila melanogaster ). They have found that in male fruit flies, the testes are able to send signals to their next-door neighbour, the gut, to increase the rate of sugar breakdown (carbohydrate metabolism). A product of sugar breakdown is a molecule called citrate, and research published by the group suggests that this citrate production sends messages to other parts of the body: specifically, to increase food intake and to produce mature sperm.  The group als