The First Report of a Bang-Sensitive Strain in Drosophila funebris: Molecular-Genetic and Lipidomic Characterization

Bang sensitivity (BS) is a well-characterized seizure-and-paralysis phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster, but its genetic basis remains unexamined in the phylogenetically distant sister species Drosophila funebris. Here, we identify a naturally occurring BS strain in D. funebris from a wild population near Lake Valday, characterized by acute mechanical shock-induced seizures and paralysis, and examine its molecular-genetic and lipidomic basis. Comparative transcriptomics identified 241 differentially expressed genes (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05), with “fatty acid metabolic process” as the most enriched GO term. Notably, within this pathway, the peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase gene Acox57D-d showed the most significant downregulation (log2FC = −4.21, padj = 4.1 × 10−110), validated by head-specific RT-qPCR. Untargeted lipidomics of BS heads (LC-Q-TOF-MS) revealed 145 altered lipid species, dominated by oxygenated triacylglycerol accumulation, cardiolipin/phosphatidylethanolamine depletion, and a divergent shift—depletion of DG 29:0 and accumulation of DG 47:4, reflecting impaired peroxisomal β-oxidation and potential mitochondrial and Na+/K+-ATPase dysfunction. These findings nominate Acox57D-d as a leading candidate gene associated with the phenotype and molecular signature of the studied BS line and establish this natural BS strain as a potentially useful model for investigating the relationship between peroxisomal lipid metabolism, neuronal excitability, and insect thanatosis.