Lipids in Insect Oocytes: From the Storage Pathways to Their Multiple Functions

Abstract

In insect physiology, the mechanisms involved in the buildup and regulation of yolk proteins in developing oocytes have been thoroughly researched during the last three decades. Comparatively, the study of lipid metabolism in oocytes had received less attention. The importance of this issue lies in the fact that lipids make up to 40 % of the dry weight of an insect egg, being the most important supply of energy for the developing embryo. Since the oocyte has a very limited capacity to synthesize lipids de novo, most of the lipids in the mature eggs arise from the circulation. The main lipid carriers in the insect circulatory system are the lipoproteins lipophorin and vitellogenin. In some species, the endocytosis of lipophorin and vitellogenin may account for about 10 % of the lipids present in mature eggs. Thus, most of lipids are transferred by a lipophorin-mediated pathway, in which the lipoprotein unloads its lipid cargo at the surface of oocytes without internalization. This chapter recapitulates the current status on lipid storage and its utilization in insect oocytes and discusses the participation of key factors including lipoproteins, transfer proteins, lipolytic enzymes and dynamic organelles such as lipid droplets. The new findings on the field of lipophorin receptors are presented in the context of lipid accumulation during egg maturation and the roles of lipids beyond energy source are summarized from the perspective of oogenesis and embryogenesis. Finally, prospective and fruitful areas of future research are suggested.