In their paper, the authors show that flies lacking miR-278 have reduced insulin sensitivity, elevated circulating blood glucose levels and are markedly lean. Drs. Teleman and Cohen determined that miR-278 functions normally to regulate insulin sensitivity through modulation of the expanded transcript.
Dr. Cohen notes that "In view of the large number of miRNA genes and the much larger numbers of targets that they regulate, it will be of interest to learn whether other aspects of metabolism are also under miRNA control."
Genes & Development