The GATOR complex regulates an essential response to meiotic double-stranded breaks in Drosophila

The TORC1 inhibitor GATOR1/SEACIT controls meiotic entry and early meiotic events in yeast. However, how metabolic pathways influence meiotic progression in metazoans remains poorly understood. Here we report that the TORC1 regulators GATOR1 and GATOR2 mediate a response to meiotic double-stranded breaks (DSBs) during Drosophila oogenesis. We find that meiotic DSBs trigger the activation of a GATOR1 dependent pathway that downregulates TORC1 activity in the female germline. In GATOR1 mutants, high TORC1 activity results in the delayed repair of meiotic DSBs and the hyperactivation of p53. Conversely, the GATOR2 component Mio is required to attenuate GATOR1 activity, to ensure that meiotic DSBs do not trigger a permanent growth arrest. Unexpectedly, we found that GATOR1 inhibits retrotransposon expression in the presence of meiotic DSBs in a pathway that functions in parallel to p53. Our studies have revealed a link between the GATOR complex, the repair of meiotic DSBs and retrotransposon expression.