RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Degradation of arouser by endosomal microautophagy is essential for adaptation to starvation in Drosophila JF Life Science Alliance JO Life Sci. Alliance FD Life Science Alliance LLC SP e202000965 DO 10.26508/lsa.202000965 VO 4 IS 2 A1 Anne-Claire Jacomin A1 Raksha Gohel A1 Zunoon Hussain A1 Agnes Varga A1 Tamas Maruzs A1 Mark Eddison A1 Margaux Sica A1 Ashish Jain A1 Kevin G Moffat A1 Terje Johansen A1 Andreas Jenny A1 Gabor Juhasz A1 Ioannis P Nezis YR 2021 UL https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/4/2/e202000965.abstract AB Hunger drives food-seeking behaviour and controls adaptation of organisms to nutrient availability and energy stores. Lipids constitute an essential source of energy in the cell that can be mobilised during fasting by autophagy. Selective degradation of proteins by autophagy is made possible essentially by the presence of LIR and KFERQ-like motifs. Using in silico screening of Drosophila proteins that contain KFERQ-like motifs, we identified and characterized the adaptor protein Arouser, which functions to regulate fat storage and mobilisation and is essential during periods of food deprivation. We show that hypomorphic arouser mutants are not satiated, are more sensitive to food deprivation, and are more aggressive, suggesting an essential role for Arouser in the coordination of metabolism and food-related behaviour. Our analysis shows that Arouser functions in the fat body through nutrient-related signalling pathways and is degraded by endosomal microautophagy. Arouser degradation occurs during feeding conditions, whereas its stabilisation during non-feeding periods is essential for resistance to starvation and survival. In summary, our data describe a novel role for endosomal microautophagy in energy homeostasis, by the degradation of the signalling regulatory protein Arouser.