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Review
. 2020 Dec 21;9(12):1310.
doi: 10.3390/antiox9121310.

L-Carnitine in Drosophila: A Review

Maria Rosaria Carillo  1 , Carla Bertapelle  2 , Filippo Scialò  3 , Mario Siervo  4 , Gianrico Spagnuolo  2 , Michele Simeone  2 , Gianfranco Peluso  5 , Filomena Anna Digilio  5
Affiliations
Review

L-Carnitine in Drosophila: A Review

Maria Rosaria Carillo et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

L-Carnitine is an amino acid derivative that plays a key role in the metabolism of fatty acids, including the shuttling of long-chain fatty acyl CoA to fuel mitochondrial β-oxidation. In addition, L-carnitine reduces oxidative damage and plays an essential role in the maintenance of cellular energy homeostasis. L-carnitine also plays an essential role in the control of cerebral functions, and the aberrant regulation of genes involved in carnitine biosynthesis and mitochondrial carnitine transport in Drosophila models has been linked to neurodegeneration. Drosophila models of neurodegenerative diseases provide a powerful platform to both unravel the molecular pathways that contribute to neurodegeneration and identify potential therapeutic targets. Drosophila can biosynthesize L-carnitine, and its carnitine transport system is similar to the human transport system; moreover, evidence from a defective Drosophila mutant for one of the carnitine shuttle genes supports the hypothesis of the occurrence of β-oxidation in glial cells. Hence, Drosophila models could advance the understanding of the links between L-carnitine and the development of neurodegenerative disorders. This review summarizes the current knowledge on L-carnitine in Drosophila and discusses the role of the L-carnitine pathway in fly models of neurodegeneration.

Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; L-carnitine; energy metabolism; neurodegenerative diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
L-Carnitine biosynthesis pathway. Drosophila orthologs are reported near each counterpart with the FlyBase CG number(s) in red. The CG numbers with the best hit(s) are underlined.
Figure 2
Figure 2
An overview of the Carnitine Shuttle. The Drosophila orthologs are reported near each enzyme with their Dmel name.
Figure 3
Figure 3
L-Carnitine and peroxisomes. The Drosophila orthologs are reported near each enzyme with the Dmel name or/and the corresponding FlyBase CG number(s).
Figure 4
Figure 4
An overview of the antioxidant properties of L-carnitine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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