Mitochondrial remodeling controls innate immune effector function in Drosophila hemocytes

Lamellocyte differentiation in Drosophila larval hemocytes enhances mitochondrial activity and metabolic flexibility, linked to mitochondrial structural remodeling and sugar-metabolism gene upregulation.

• Why it matters: Innate immune hemocyte functions are well mapped genetically, but their metabolic programs across development and activation states remain unclear.
• What they did: The study measured metabolic parameters across developmental stages, genotypes, and immune activation, integrating metabolic assays with single-cell transcriptomics. It also tested how lamellocytes use glucose and trehalose for mitochondrial respiration and how Drp1-dependent fission supports immune responses.
• The result: Functional lamellocytes modulate mitochondrial fission via Drp1 and rely on glucose and trehalose to fuel mitochondrial respiration, which is essential for effective immune responses.

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