Nutrient/TOR signaling controls adipose mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) to regulate organismal growth in Drosophila

Sriskanthadevan-Pirahas S, Khan S, Sharma A, Lee B, Grewal SS · 2026 · FEBS Lett · Atlas ID SRI2026

What this study shows

In Drosophila larvae, nutrient/TOR signaling in the fat body (a key nutrient-sensing tissue) post-transcriptionally suppresses the mitochondrial transcription factor TFAM, and this TOR→TFAM axis in fat-body tissue controls whole-body developmental growth — a mechanistic link between nutrient sensing and interorgan growth control via mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Abstract

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Animals must adapt their growth to fluctuations in nutrient availability to ensure proper development. While nutrient-sensing tissues coordinate organismal growth through interorgan signaling, the metabolic changes within these tissues that mediate whole-body growth control remain poorly understood. Using Drosophila larvae, we show that TOR (target of rapamycin), a conserved nutrient-sensing kinase, controls developmental growth through regulation of the mitochondrial genome transcription factor TFAM, which controls mitochondrial bioenergetic capacity.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: Drosophila (larvae, fat body)); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type	4 - Animal Study
Model system	Drosophila (larvae, fat body)
Journal	FEBS Lett
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1002/1873-3468.70427 · PMID 42572502

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Genetic manipulation of TOR signaling in the fat body (Drosophila)
Target	TOR → TFAM (mitochondrial transcription factor A)
Model	Drosophila melanogaster (larvae)
Effect	TOR suppresses TFAM protein levels in the fat body; this axis controls organismal developmental growth

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Sriskanthadevan-Pirahas, S., Khan, S., Sharma, A., Lee, B., & Grewal, S. S. (2026). Nutrient/TOR signaling controls adipose mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) to regulate organismal growth in Drosophila. FEBS Lett. https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.70427

@article{SRI2026,
  author       = {Sriskanthadevan-Pirahas, S. and Khan, S. and Sharma, A. and Lee, B. and Grewal, S. S.},
  title        = {{Nutrient/TOR signaling controls adipose mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) to regulate organismal growth in Drosophila}},
  journal      = {FEBS Lett},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1002/1873-3468.70427},
  note         = {PMID: 42572502},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record SRI2026) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SRI2026/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_SRI2026,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record SRI2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SRI2026/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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