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).