Most insects overwinter in a state of hibernation known as diapause where they suppress their metabolism to save energy. Colorado potato beetles use a unique strategy to reach these hypometabolic states - they degrade entire mitochondrial networks in their flight muscle during diapause using mitophagy, and then regrow it all on demand when they need to fly in the spring!

In the Lebenzon lab, we explore how these beetles remodel their flight muscle mitochondria during diapause, why this unique energy-saving mechanism evolved, and whether other species employ similar mechanisms to modulate their energy metabolism.

Relevant publications:

Lebenzon, J. E., Denezis, P. W., Mohammad, L., Mathers, K. E., Turnbull, K. F., Staples, J. F., & Sinclair, B. J. (2022). Reversible mitophagy drives metabolic suppression in diapausing beetles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Diaz, T., Treidel, L.A., Menze, M.A., Williams, C.M., Lebenzon, J.E. (2024) Beclin-mediated autophagy drives dorsal longitudinal muscle histolysis in the California variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps. Integrative and Comparative Biology.

Lebenzon, J. E., Torson, A. S., & Sinclair, B. J. (2021). Diapause differentially modulates the transcriptomes of fat body and flight muscle in the Colorado potato beetle. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics

Mitos in the Media:

Hibernating beetles breakdown and regrow muscles on demand - New Scientist

Muscle Memory - Canadian Geographic