Acetyl-CoA carboxylase maintains energetic balance for functional oogenesis

Reproduction is tightly linked to nutrient availability and metabolic homeostasis, yet how specific metabolic pathways coordinate with cellular signaling to control oogenesis remains unclear. Through a targeted RNAi screen in the Drosophila germline, we identify Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (Acc), the rate-limiting enzyme in fatty acid synthesis (FAS), as an essential regulator of germline stem cell (GSC) maintenance and oocyte development. Acc loss shifts cellular metabolism toward fatty acid oxidation (FAO), fueling the TCA cycle and electron transport chain, which elevates ATP levels and hyperactivates TOR signaling. This metabolic reprogramming induces excessive protein synthesis, disrupting endosomal trafficking and fusome branching, a germline-specific organelle essential for synchronized cell divisions and oocyte selection. These defects are rescued by inhibiting FAO, suppressing TOR activity, reducing protein synthesis, or restricting dietary protein intake. Our study establishes a direct metabolic–signaling–structural axis in the female germline and highlights Acc as a key metabolic checkpoint that safeguards energy balance, intracellular trafficking, and oocyte fate. Reproductive success is tightly linked to nutrient availability, though how metabolism is linked to oogenesis is unclear. Here they use Drosophila for a targeted RNAi screen and identify fatty acid synthesis as a critical brake point for oocyte development.