We then compared the change in carbohydrate content (trehalose plus glucose) in the hemolymph of starved and fed flies. To this end, the hemolymph was extracted and all glucose and trehalose was enzymatically converted into spectrometrically measurable glucose. Carbohydrate content in fed animals appeared very similar (Fig. 2A). Because the variability in the score is partly due to the inevitable differences in the protocol used from one day to the other, we calculated the change in carbohydrate level after starvation in a paired fashion. It was significantly smaller in tßhnM18 mutants compared to wild type controls (Fig. 2B, paired Wilcoxon rank sum test, p<0.05).