Adipose tissue of Drosophila melanogaster. III. The effect of the ovary on cell growth and the storage of lipid and glycogen in the adult tissue

Abstract Cytometric analysis was made on the adult adipose tissue of sectioned abdomens of normal and experimentally treated adult Drosophila melanogaster. The adipose cells of two week old males and females are equal in size. The male cells contain 72% glycogen and 7% lipid, whereas the female cells contain 60% glycogen and 23% lipid. The adipose tissue of males containing a mature, transplanted ovary is similar to the female adipose tissue with regard to the cell size and amounts of lipid and glycogen. The adipose cells of castrated females are about 1.4 times larger than those of normal females, but the amount of lipid and glycogen per cell remains somewhat feminine. The adipose cells of genetically sterile, fes, females are about 1.4 times larger than those of normal females, but the amount of lipid and glycogen per cell remains somewhat feminine. The adipose cells of genetically sterile, fes, females are about 1.5 times larger than normal cells and are similar to normal male cells with regard to the proportions of reserve substances. The adipose cells of fes females containing a transplanted, normal ovary shrink to the same size as those of normal flies; and are similar to those of the normal females with respect to amount of glycogen, but are similar to those of normal males with respect to the amount of lipid. The ovary's stimulatory effect on the growth of the larval and repressive effect on the growth of the adult tissue is discussed.