Extended life-span and stress resistance in the Drosophila mutant methuselah

Genome-wide association for sensitivity to chronic oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a common byproduct of mitochondrial energy metabolism, and can also be induced by exogenous sources, including UV light, radiation, and environmental toxins. ROS generation is essential for maintaining homeostasis by triggering cellular signaling pathways and host defense mechanisms. However, an imbalance of ROS induces oxidative stress and cellular death and is associated with human disease, including age-related locomotor impairment. To identify genes affecting sensitivity and resistance to ROS-induced locomotor decline, we assessed locomotion of aged flies of the sequenced, wild-derived lines from the Drosophila melanogaster Genetics Reference Panel on standard medium and following chronic exposure to medium supplemented with 3 mM menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB). We found substantial genetic variation in sensitivity to oxidative stress with respect to locomotor phenotypes. We performed genome-wide association analyses to identify candidate genes associated with variation in sensitivity to ROS-induced decline in locomotor performance, and confirmed the effects for 13 of 16 mutations tested in these candidate genes. Candidate genes associated with variation in sensitivity to MSB-induced oxidative stress form networks of genes involved in neural development, immunity, and signal transduction. Many of these genes have human orthologs, highlighting the utility of genome-wide association in Drosophila for studying complex human disease.

The functions of grainy head-like proteins in animals and fungi and the evolution of apical extracellular barriers

The Grainy head (GRH) family of transcription factors are crucial for the development and repair of epidermal barriers in all animals in which they have been studied. This is a high-level functional conservation, as the known structural and enzymatic genes regulated by GRH proteins differ between species depending on the type of epidermal barrier being formed. Interestingly, members of the CP2 superfamily of transcription factors, which encompasses the GRH and LSF families in animals, are also found in fungi--organisms that lack epidermal tissues. To shed light on CP2 protein function in fungi, we characterized a Neurospora crassa mutant lacking the CP2 member we refer to as grainy head-like (grhl). We show that Neurospora GRHL has a DNA-binding specificity similar to that of animal GRH proteins and dissimilar to that of animal LSF proteins. Neurospora grhl mutants are defective in conidial-spore dispersal due to an inability to remodel the cell wall, and we show that grhl mutants and the long-known conidial separation-2 (csp-2) mutants are allelic. We then characterized the transcriptomes of both Neurospora grhl mutants and Drosophila grh mutant embryos to look for similarities in the affected genes. Neurospora grhl appears to play a role in the development and remodeling of the cell wall, as well as in the activation of genes involved in defense and virulence. Drosophila GRH is required to activate the expression of many genes involved in cuticular/epidermal-barrier formation. We also present evidence that GRH plays a role in adult antimicrobial defense. These results, along with previous studies of animal GRH proteins, suggest the fascinating possibility that the apical extracellular barriers of some animals and fungi might share an evolutionary connection, and that the formation of physical barriers in the last common ancestor was under the control of a transcriptional code that included GRH-like proteins.

Healthy aging - insights from Drosophila

Human life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past century due, in part, to social and economic development, and a wide range of new medical technologies and treatments. As the number of elderly increase it becomes of vital importance to understand what factors contribute to healthy aging. Human longevity is a complex process that is affected by both environmental and genetic factors and interactions between them. Unfortunately, it is currently difficult to identify the role of genetic components in human longevity. In contrast, model organisms such as C. elegans, Drosophila, and rodents have facilitated the search for specific genes that affect lifespan. Experimental evidence obtained from studies in model organisms suggests that mutations in a single gene may increase longevity and delay the onset of age-related symptoms including motor impairments, sexual and reproductive and immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline. Furthermore, the high degree of conservation between diverse species in the genes and pathways that regulate longevity suggests that work in model organisms can both expand our theoretical knowledge of aging and perhaps provide new therapeutic targets for the treatment of age-related disorders.

Genome-wide association analysis of oxidative stress resistance in Drosophila melanogaster

BACKGROUND

Aerobic organisms are susceptible to damage by reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress resistance is a quantitative trait with population variation attributable to the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Drosophila melanogaster provides an ideal system to study the genetics of variation for resistance to oxidative stress.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We used 167 wild-derived inbred lines of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel for a genome-wide association study of acute oxidative stress resistance to two oxidizing agents, paraquat and menadione sodium bisulfite. We found significant genetic variation for both stressors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with variation in oxidative stress resistance were often sex-specific and agent-dependent, with a small subset common for both sexes or treatments. Associated SNPs had moderately large effects, with an inverse relationship between effect size and allele frequency. Linear models with up to 12 SNPs explained 67-79% and 56-66% of the phenotypic variance for resistance to paraquat and menadione sodium bisulfite, respectively. Many genes implicated were novel with no known role in oxidative stress resistance. Bioinformatics analyses revealed a cellular network comprising DNA metabolism and neuronal development, consistent with targets of oxidative stress-inducing agents. We confirmed associations of seven candidate genes associated with natural variation in oxidative stress resistance through mutational analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified novel candidate genes associated with variation in resistance to oxidative stress that have context-dependent effects. These results form the basis for future translational studies to identify oxidative stress susceptibility/resistance genes that are evolutionary conserved and might play a role in human disease.

Misexpression screen delineates novel genes controlling Drosophila lifespan

In an initial preliminary screen we identified factors associated with controlling Drosophila aging by examining longevity in adults where EP elements induced over-expression or antisense-RNA at genes adjacent to each insertion. Here, we study 45 EP lines that initially showed at least 10% longer mean lifespan than controls. These 45 lines and a daughterless (da)-Gal4 stock were isogenized into a CS10 wild-type background. Sixteen EP lines corresponding to 15 genes significantly extended lifespan when their target genes were driven by da-Gal4. In each case, the target genes were seen to be over-expressed. Independently derived UAS-gene transgenic stocks were available or made for two candidates: ImpL2 which is ecdysone-inducible gene L2, and CG33138, 1,4-alpha-glucan branching enzyme. With both, adult lifespan was increased upon over-expression via the GeneSwitch inducible Gal4 driver system. Several genes in this set of 15 correspond to previously discovered longevity assurance systems such as insulin/IGF-1 signaling, gene silencing, and autophagy; others suggest new potential mechanisms for the control of aging including mRNA synthesis and maturation, intracellular vesicle trafficking, and neuroendocrine regulation.

How stress alters memory in 'smart' snails

Cognitive ability varies within species, but whether this variation alters the manner in which memory formation is affected by environmental stress is unclear. The great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, is commonly used as model species in studies of learning and memory. The majority of those studies used a single laboratory strain (i.e. the Dutch strain) originating from a wild population in the Netherlands. However, our recent work has identified natural populations that demonstrate significantly enhanced long-term memory (LTM) formation relative to the Dutch strain following operant conditioning of aerial respiratory behaviour. Here we assess how two populations with enhanced memory formation (i.e. ‘smart’ snails), one from Canada (Trans Canada 1: TC1) and one from the U.K. (Chilton Moor: CM) respond to ecologically relevant stressors. In control conditions the Dutch strain forms memory lasting 1–3 h following a single 0.5 h training session in our standard calcium pond water (80 mg/l [Ca²⁺]), whereas the TC1 and CM populations formed LTM lasting 5+ days following this training regime. Exposure to low environmental calcium pond water (20 mg/l [Ca²⁺]), which blocks LTM in the Dutch strain, reduced LTM retention to 24 h in the TC1 and CM populations. Crowding (20 snails in 100 ml) immediately prior to training blocks LTM in the Dutch strain, and also did so in TC1 and CM populations. Therefore, snails with enhanced cognitive ability respond to these ecologically relevant stressors in a similar manner to the Dutch strain, but are more robust at forming LTM in a low calcium environment. Despite the two populations (CM and TC1) originating from different continents, LTM formation was indistinguishable in both control and stressed conditions. This indicates that the underlying mechanisms controlling cognitive differences among populations may be highly conserved in L. stagnalis.

The redox stress hypothesis of aging

The main objective of this review is to examine the role of endogenous reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS) in the aging process. Until relatively recently, ROS were considered to be potentially toxic by-products of aerobic metabolism, which, if not eliminated, may inflict structural damage on various macromolecules. Accrual of such damage over time was postulated to be responsible for the physiological deterioration in the postreproductive phase of life and eventually the death of the organism. This "structural damage-based oxidative stress" hypothesis has received support from the age-associated increases in the rate of ROS production and the steady-state amounts of oxidized macromolecules; however, there are increasing indications that structural damage alone is insufficient to satisfactorily explain the age-associated functional losses. The level of oxidative damage accrued during aging often does not match the magnitude of functional losses. Although experimental augmentation of antioxidant defenses tends to enhance resistance to induced oxidative stress, such manipulations are generally ineffective in the extension of life span of long-lived strains of animals. More recently, in a major conceptual shift, ROS have been found to be physiologically vital for signal transduction, gene regulation, and redox regulation, among others, implying that their complete elimination would be harmful. An alternative notion, advocated here, termed the "redox stress hypothesis," proposes that aging-associated functional losses are primarily caused by a progressive pro-oxidizing shift in the redox state of the cells, which leads to the overoxidation of redox-sensitive protein thiols and the consequent disruption of the redox-regulated signaling mechanisms.

Oxidative stresses and ageing

Oxidative damage to cellular constituents has frequently been associated with aging in a wide range of organisms. The power of yeast genetics and biochemistry has provided the opportunity to analyse in some detail how reactive oxygen and nitrogen species arise in cells, how cells respond to the damage that these reactive species cause, and to begin to dissect how these species may be involved in the ageing process. This chapter reviews the major sources of reactive oxygen species that occur in yeast cells, the damage they cause and how cells sense and respond to this damage.

More than two decades of research on insect neuropeptide GPCRs: an overview

This review focuses on the state of the art on neuropeptide receptors in insects. Most of these receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are involved in the regulation of virtually all physiological processes during an insect's life. More than 20 years ago a milestone in invertebrate endocrinology was achieved with the characterization of the first insect neuropeptide receptor, i.e., the Drosophila tachykinin-like receptor. However, it took until the release of the Drosophila genome in 2000 that research on neuropeptide receptors boosted. In the last decade a plethora of genomic information of other insect species also became available, leading to a better insight in the functions and evolution of the neuropeptide signaling systems and their intracellular pathways. It became clear that some of these systems are conserved among all insect species, indicating that they fulfill crucial roles in their physiological processes. Meanwhile, other signaling systems seem to be lost in several insect orders or species, suggesting that their actions were superfluous in those insects, or that other neuropeptides have taken over their functions. It is striking that the deorphanization of neuropeptide GPCRs gets much attention, but the subsequent unraveling of the intracellular pathways they elicit, or their physiological functions are often hardly examined. Especially in insects besides Drosophila this information is scarce if not absent. And although great progress made in characterizing neuropeptide signaling systems, even in Drosophila several predicted neuropeptide receptors remain orphan, awaiting for their endogenous ligand to be determined. The present review gives a précis of the insect neuropeptide receptor research of the last two decades. But it has to be emphasized that the work done so far is only the tip of the iceberg and our comprehensive understanding of these important signaling systems will still increase substantially in the coming years.

Gadd45 proteins: relevance to aging, longevity and age-related pathologies

The Gadd45 proteins have been intensively studied, in view of their important role in key cellular processes. Indeed, the Gadd45 proteins stand at the crossroad of the cell fates by controlling the balance between cell (DNA) repair, eliminating (apoptosis) or preventing the expansion of potentially dangerous cells (cell cycle arrest, cellular senescence), and maintaining the stem cell pool. However, the biogerontological aspects have not thus far received sufficient attention. Here we analyzed the pathways and modes of action by which Gadd45 members are involved in aging, longevity and age-related diseases. Because of their pleiotropic action, a decreased inducibility of Gadd45 members may have far-reaching consequences including genome instability, accumulation of DNA damage, and disorders in cellular homeostasis - all of which may eventually contribute to the aging process and age-related disorders (promotion of tumorigenesis, immune disorders, insulin resistance and reduced responsiveness to stress). Most recently, the dGadd45 gene has been identified as a longevity regulator in Drosophila. Although further wide-scale research is warranted, it is becoming increasingly clear that Gadd45s are highly relevant to aging, age-related diseases (ARDs) and to the control of life span, suggesting them as potential therapeutic targets in ARDs and pro-longevity interventions.

A de novo transcriptome of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, to identify candidate transcripts for diapause preparation

Background

Many temperate insects survive the harsh conditions of winter by undergoing photoperiodic diapause, a pre-programmed developmental arrest initiated by short day lengths. Despite the well-established ecological significance of photoperiodic diapause, the molecular basis of this crucial adaptation remains largely unresolved. The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), represents an outstanding emerging model to investigate the molecular basis of photoperiodic diapause in a well-defined ecological and evolutionary context. Ae. albopictus is a medically significant vector and is currently considered the most invasive mosquito in the world. Traits related to diapause appear to be important factors contributing to the rapid spread of this mosquito. To generate novel sequence information for this species, as well as to discover transcripts involved in diapause preparation, we sequenced the transcriptome of Ae. albopictus oocytes destined to become diapausing or non-diapausing pharate larvae.

Results

454 GS-FLX transcriptome sequencing yielded >1.1 million quality-filtered reads, which we assembled into 69,474 contigs (N50 = 1,009 bp). Our contig filtering approach, where we took advantage of strong sequence similarity to the fully sequenced genome of Aedes aegypti, as well as other reference organisms, resulted in 11,561 high-quality, conservative ESTs. Differential expression estimates based on normalized read counts revealed 57 genes with higher expression, and 257 with lower expression under diapause-inducing conditions. Analysis of expression by qPCR for 47 of these genes indicated a high correlation of expression levels between 454 sequence data and qPCR, but congruence of statistically significant differential expression was low. Seven genes identified as differentially expressed based on qPCR have putative functions that are consistent with the insect diapause syndrome; three genes have unknown function and represent novel candidates for the transcriptional basis of diapause.

Conclusions

Our transcriptome database provides a rich resource for the comparative genomics and functional genetics of Ae. albopictus, an invasive and medically important mosquito. Additionally, the identification of differentially expressed transcripts related to diapause enriches the limited knowledge base for the molecular basis of insect diapause, in particular for the preparatory stage. Finally, our analysis illustrates a useful approach that draws from a closely related reference genome to generate high-confidence ESTs in a non-model organism.

Blueberry extract prolongs lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster

Blueberry possesses greater antioxidant capacity than most other fruits and vegetables. The present study investigated the lifespan-prolonging activity of blueberry extracts in fruit flies and explored its underlying mechanism. Results revealed that blueberry extracts at 5mg/ml in diet could significantly extend the mean lifespan of fruit flies by 10%, accompanied by up-regulating gene expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and Rpn11 and down-regulating Methuselah (MTH) gene. Intensive H(2)O(2) and Paraquat challenge tests showed that lifespan was only extended in Oregon-R wild type flies but not in SOD(n108) or Cat(n1) mutant strains. Chronic Paraquat exposure shortened the maximum survival time from 73 to 35days and decreased the climbing ability by 60% while blueberry extracts at 5mg/ml in diet could significantly increase the survival rate and partially restore the climbing ability with up-regulating SOD, CAT, and Rpn11. Furthermore, gustatory assay demonstrated that those changes were not due to the variation of food intake between the control and the experimental diet containing 5mg/ml blueberry extracts. It was therefore concluded that the lifespan-prolonging activity of blueberry extracts was at least partially associated with its interactions with MTH, Rpn11, and endogenous antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT.

Gender and the regulation of longevity: implications for autoimmunity

For humans and other animals, gender has an influence not only on their physical attributes, but also on life span. In humans, females have a longer life span than males. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. The role of gender in the regulation of longevity may be linked to gender specific genetic differences, including the expression of sex hormone patterns and the changes in these patterns during an individual's lifetime. In addition, the effect of sex hormones on other physiologic responses to environmental influences on cellular stress and oxidative damage may play a role in longevity. Gender can impact many disease states, including autoimmune diseases, and the factors that affect the development of autoimmune diseases and the regulation of longevity may share common mechanistic pathways. Other factors that may play a role include telomere and telomerase related differences, caloric restriction and changes in mitochondrial DNA. Inflammatory and regulatory pathways such as insulin/IGF signaling and Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling may also play a role in longevity and aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer's. The role of gender differences in the regulation of these pathways or factors is not entirely clear. The role of X-chromosome inactivation in longevity has also yet to be fully elucidated.

Differential susceptibility of a few members of thenasuta–albomicanscomplex ofDrosophilato paraquat-induced lethality and oxidative stress

The evolution of karyotypically stabilized short-lived (SL) and long-lived (LL) cytoraces in the laboratory have been established and validated through our previous lifespan studies. In the present investigation, we examined the possible reason(s) for the differential longevity among selected members of SL and LL cytoraces, employing the well known paraquat (PQ) resistance bioassay. Exposure of these races to varying concentrations of PQ revealed relatively higher resistance among LL cytoraces than SL cytoraces, as evident by the lower incidence of mortality. Biochemical analysis for endogenous markers of oxidative stress revealed that LL-2 cytorace exhibited lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, higher activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and coupled with higher levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) compared with the levels found in SL-2 cytorace. These findings suggest that the higher susceptibility of SL cytoraces to PQ challenge may be, at least in part, related to the higher endogenous levels of oxidative stress markers. Although the precise mechanisms responsible for the longer longevity among LL cytoraces of the nasuta–albomicans complex of Drosophila merits further investigation, our data suggest that the relatively longer lifespan may be related to the status of endogenous markers that renders them more resistant towards oxidative-stress-mediated lethality, as evident in the PQ assay.

A putative G protein-coupled receptor involved in innate immune defense of Procambarus clarkii against bacterial infection

The immune functions of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) were widely investigated in mammals. However, limited researches on immune function of GPCRs were reported in invertebrates. In the present study, the immune functions of HP1R gene, a putative GPCR identified from red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii were reported. Expression of HP1R gene was significant up-regulated in response to heat-killed Aeromonas hydrophila challenge. HP1R gene silencing mediated by RNA interference significantly enhanced the susceptibility of red swamp crayfish to A. hydrophila and Vibrio alginolyticus, indicating that HP1R was required for red swamp crayfish to defend against bacterial challenge. In HP1R-silenced crayfish, increased bacterial burden and decreased THC in response to bacterial challenge were observed when compared with control crayfish. No significant difference of proPO gene expression was observed between HP1R-silenced and control crayfish after challenge with heat-killed A. hydrophila. However, PO activity in response to bacterial challenge was significantly reduced in HP1R-silenced crayfish. The results collectively indicated that HP1R was an important immune molecule which was required for red swamp crayfish to defend against bacterial infection.

Latrophilin signalling in tissue polarity and morphogenesis

Understanding the mechanisms that coordinate the polarity of cells and tissues during embryogenesis and morphogenesis is a fundamental problem in developmental biology. We have recently demonstrated that the putative neurotoxin receptor lat-1 defines a mechanism required for the alignment of cell division planes in the early embryo of the nematode C. elegans. Our analysis suggests that lat-1 is required for the propagation rather than the initial establishment of polarity signals. Similar to the role of the flamingo/CELSR protein family in the control of planar cell polarity, these results implicate an evolutionary conserved subfamily of adhesion-GPCRs in the control of tissue polarity and morphogenesis.

Large-scale RNAi screen of G protein-coupled receptors involved in larval growth, molting and metamorphosis in the red flour beetle

Background

The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) belong to the largest superfamily of integral cell membrane proteins and play crucial roles in physiological processes including behavior, development and reproduction. Because of their broad and diverse roles in cellular signaling, GPCRs are the therapeutic targets for many prescription drugs. However, there is no commercial pesticide targeting insect GPCRs. In this study, we employed functional genomics methods and used the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, as a model system to study the physiological roles of GPCRs during the larval growth, molting and metamorphosis.

Results

A total of 111 non-sensory GPCRs were identified in the T. castaneum genome. Thirty-nine of them were not reported previously. Large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screen was used to study the function of all these GPCRs during immature stages. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated knockdown in the expression of genes coding for eight GPCRs caused severe developmental arrest and ecdysis failure (with more than 90% mortality after dsRNA injection). These GPCRs include dopamine-2 like receptor (TC007490/D2R) and latrophilin receptor (TC001872/Cirl). The majority of larvae injected with TC007490/D2R dsRNA died during larval stage prior to entering pupal stage, suggesting that this GPCR is essential for larval growth and development.

Conclusions

The results from our study revealed the physiological roles of some GPCRs in T. castaneum. These findings could help in development of novel pesticides targeting these GPCRs.

Quantitative trait loci for longevity in heat-stressed Drosophila melanogaster

Longevity is a typical quantitative trait which is influenced by multiple genes. Here we explore the genetic variation in longevity of Drosophila melanogaster in both mildly heat-stressed and control flies. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for longevity was performed in a single-sex environment at 25°C with and without a mild heat-stress pre-treatment, using a previously reported set of recombinant inbred lines (RIL). QTL regions for longevity in heat-stressed flies overlapped with QTL for longevity in control flies. All longevity QTL co-localized with QTL for longevity identified in previous studies using very different sets of RIL in mixed sex environments, though the genome is nearly saturated with QTL for longevity when considering all previous studies. Heat stress decreased the number of significant QTL for longevity if compared to the control environment. Our mild heat-stress pre-treatment had a beneficial effect (hormesis) more often in shorter-lived than in longer-lived RIL.

Biosafety assessment of Gd@C82(OH)22 nanoparticles on Caenorhabditis elegans

Gd@C(82)(OH)(22), a water-soluble endohedral metallofullerene derivative, has been proven to possess significant antineoplastic activity in mice. Toxicity studies of the nanoparticle have shown some evidence of low or non toxicity in mice and cell models. Here we employed Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model organism to further evaluate the short- and long-term toxicity of Gd@C(82)(OH)(22) and possible behavior changes under normal and stress culture conditions. With treatment of Gd@C(82)(OH)(22) at 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 10 μg ml(-1) within one generation (short-term), C. elegans showed no significant decrease in longevity or thermotolerance compared to the controls. Furthermore, when Gd@C(82)(OH)(22) treatment was extended up to six generations (long-term), non-toxic effects to the nematodes were found. In addition, data from body length measurement, feeding rate and egg-laying assays with short-term treatment demonstrated that the nanoparticles have no significant impact on the individual growth, feeding behavior and reproductive ability, respectively. In summary, this work has shown that Gd@C(82)(OH)(22) is tolerated well by worms and it has no apparent toxic effects on longevity, stress resistance, growth and behaviors that were observed in both adult and young worms. Our work lays the foundations for further developments of this anti-neoplastic agent for clinical applications.

Increase of Drosophila melanogaster lifespan due to D-GADD45 overexpression in the nervous system

The GADD45 protein family plays an important role in stress signaling and participates in the integration of cellular response to environmental and physiological factors. GADD45 proteins are involved in cell cycle control, DNA repair, apoptosis, cell survival and aging, and inflammatory response by complicated protein-protein interactions. In Drosophila melanogaster a single D-GADD45 ortholog (GG1086) has been described. Our data show that overexpression of the D-GADD45 gene in the nervous system leads to a significantly increase of Drosophila lifespan without a decrease in fecundity and locomotor activity. The lifespan extension effect is more pronounced in males than in females, which agrees with the sex-dependent expression of this gene. The longevity of D. melanogaster with D-GADD45 overexpression is apparently due to more efficient recognition and repair of DNA damage, as the DNA comet assay showed that the spontaneous DNA damage in the larva neuroblasts is reduced with statistical significance.

Regulation of longevity by regulator of G-protein signaling protein, Loco

Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins contribute to G-protein signaling pathways as activators or repressors with GTPase-activating protein (GAP) activity. To characterize whether regulation of RGS proteins influences longevity in several species, we measured stress responses and lifespan of RGS-overexpressing and RGS-lacking mutants. Reduced expression of Loco, a RGS protein of Drosophila melanogaster, resulted in a longer lifespan for both male and female flies, also exhibiting stronger resistance to three different stressors (starvation, oxidation, and heat) and higher manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity. In addition, this reduction in Loco expression increased fat content and diminished cAMP levels. In contrast, overexpression of both genomic and cDNA loco gene significantly shortened the lifespan with weaker stress resistance and lower fat content. Deletion analysis of the Loco demonstrated that its RGS domain is required for the regulation of longevity. Consistently, when expression of RGS14, mammalian homologue of Loco, was reduced in rat fibroblast cells, the resistance to oxidative stress increased with higher MnSOD expression. The changes of yeast Rgs2 expression, which shares a conserved RGS domain with the fly Loco protein, also altered lifespan and stress resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we provide the first evidence that RGS proteins with GAP activity affect both stress resistance and longevity in several species.

Proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiling during diapause entrance in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis

Diapause is an alternate developmental pathway that is regulated by the neuroendocrine system in insects. To date, much of the information that has been published regarding the possible molecular events associated with diapause have been at the level of transcription. However, since transcription and translation are not linked in eukaryotic systems, a proteomics approach may represent a better tool to identify the gene products that regulate this period of developmental arrest. In this study, we performed gel-based proteomic and phospho-proteomic analyses to identify proteins that are differentially expressed or differentially phosphorylated in the brain during the initiation of pupal diapause in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis. A total of 27 proteins and phosphoproteins were identified by LC-MS/MS, including 16 that were either upregulated or phosphorylated during diapause, including proteins that function in cellular defense, cell cycle inhibition and neuronal protection. Of equal importance, 11 proteins were identified that were either downregulated at the total protein level, or from nuclear fractions. These included proteins involved in cell proliferation, adult development and aging. These data provide potentially valuable insight into the regulation of insect dormancy as well as the general phenomenon of aging in eukaryotic systems.

Drosophila as a model for age-related impairment in locomotor and other behaviors

Aging is a multifaceted phenomenon that occurs in most species including humans and the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. One of the most fundamental features of aging is the progressive decline in functional capacity that occurs with age (i.e. functional senescence). Age-related declines in function undermine many aspects of normal youthful physiology including behavior. Age-related behavioral declines are quite telling because they presumably reflect primary functional defects in the nervous system or musculature. Consequently, a more detailed understanding of behavioral declines that occur with age, including mechanisms that impinge on them, could ultimately lead to improved treatment or diagnosis of age-related defects in physiological processes that depend on normal function of the nervous system or musculature. Such advances in diagnosis or treatment would translate into tremendous gains in quality of life for elderly populations. In this article, we review progress using Drosophila to better understand age-related behavioral declines with a focus on age-related locomotor impairment.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase is a stress response protein regulated by the heat shock factor/hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha pathway

Stress responses are cellular processes essential for maintenance of cellular integrity and defense against environmental and intracellular insults. Neurodegenerative conditions are linked with inadequate stress responses. Several stress-responsive genes encoding neuroprotective proteins have been identified, and among them, the heat shock proteins comprise an important group of molecular chaperones that have neuroprotective functions. However, evidence for other critical stress-responsive genes is lacking. Recent studies on the NAD synthesis enzyme nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) have uncovered a novel neuronal maintenance and protective function against activity-, injury-, or misfolded protein-induced degeneration in Drosophila and in mammalian neurons. Here, we show that NMNAT is also a novel stress response protein required for thermotolerance and mitigation of oxidative stress-induced shortened lifespan. NMNAT is transcriptionally regulated during various stress conditions including heat shock and hypoxia through heat shock factor (HSF) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in vivo. HSF binds to nmnat promoter and induces NMNAT expression under heat shock. In contrast, under hypoxia, HIF1α up-regulates NMNAT indirectly through the induction of HSF. Our studies provide an in vivo mechanism for transcriptional regulation of NMNAT under stress and establish an essential role for this neuroprotective factor in cellular stress response.

Comparative transcriptional pathway bioinformatic analysis of dietary restriction, Sir2, p53 and resveratrol life span extension in Drosophila

A multiple comparison approach using whole genome transcriptional arrays was used to identify genes and pathways involved in calorie restriction/dietary restriction (DR) life span extension in Drosophila. Starting with a gene centric analysis comparing the changes in common between DR and two DR related molecular genetic life span extending manipulations, Sir2 and p53, lead to a molecular confirmation of Sir2 and p53's similarity with DR and the identification of a small set of commonly regulated genes. One of the identified upregulated genes, takeout, known to be involved in feeding and starvation behavior, and to have sequence homology with Juvenile Hormone (JH) binding protein, was shown to directly extend life span when specifically overexpressed. Here we show that a pathway centric approach can be used to identify shared physiological pathways between DR and Sir2, p53 and resveratrol life span extending interventions. The set of physiological pathways in common among these life span extending interventions provides an initial step toward defining molecular genetic and physiological changes important in life span extension. The large overlap in shared pathways between DR, Sir2, p53 and resveratrol provide strong molecular evidence supporting the genetic studies linking these specific life span extending interventions.

Apple polyphenols extend the mean lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster

Apple polyphenols (AP) are an excellent source of dietary antioxidants. The present study investigated the effect of AP on the lifespan of fruit flies and their interaction with gene expressions of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), methuselah (MTH), Rpn11, and cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) subunits III and VIb. Results showed the mean lifespan was significantly extended by 10% in fruit flies fed the AP diet. This was accompanied by up-regulation of genes SOD1, SOD2, and CAT and down-regulation of MTH in the aged fruit flies. Paraquat and H(2)O(2) challenge tests demonstrated that AP prolonged the survival time only for Oregon R wild type flies but not for SOD(n108) or Cat(n1) mutants, in which either SOD or CAT was knocked out. Chronic paraquat exposure could shorten the maximum lifespan from 68 to 31 days and reduce the climbing ability by 60%, whereas AP could partially reverse the paraquat-induced mortality and decline in climbing ability. AP could up-regulate Rpn11 at day 30, whereas it appeared to have no significant effect on gene expression of ubiquitinated protein, CcO subunits III and VIb. These AP-induced changes were unlikely associated with caloric restriction as the gustatory assay found no difference in average body weight and stomach redness index between the control and AP fruit flies. It was therefore concluded that the antiaging activity of AP was, at least in part, mediated by its interaction with genes SOD, CAT, MTH, and Rpn11.

Forkhead homeobox type O transcription factors in the responses to oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular oxidative stress are involved in many physiological and pathophysiological processes, including cellular and organismal aging, migration, proliferation, senescence or death of normal and cancer cells, and stress resistance of stem cells. The forkhead homeobox type O (FOXO) transcription factors FOXO1, FOXO3a, and FOXO4 are critical mediators of the cellular responses to oxidative stress and have been implicated in many of the above ROS-regulated processes. In cancer cells they converge oxidative stress signaling to cell cycle arrest and cell death or promote a motile phenotype. Dependent on their posttranslational modifications FOXOs can also actively regulate the detoxification of cells from ROS and promote stress resistance. Thus, FOXO transcription factors are of vital importance in processes regulating tumor survival or progression, stem cell maintenance, age-related pathological processes, and lifespan extension.

Evolution of GPCR: change and continuity

Once introduced into the very early eukaryotic blueprint, seven-transmembrane receptors soon became the central and versatile components of the evolutionary highly successful G protein-coupled transmembrane signaling mechanism. In contrast to all other components of this signal transduction pathway, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) evolved in various structural families, eventually comprising hundreds of members in vertebrate genomes. Their functional diversity is in contrast to the conserved transmembrane core and the invariant set of intracellular signaling mechanisms, and it may be the interplay of these properties that is the key to the evolutionary success of GPCR. The GPCR repertoires retrieved from extant vertebrate genomes are the recent endpoints of this long evolutionary process. But the shaping of the fine structure and the repertoire of GPCR is still ongoing, and signatures of recent selection acting on GPCR genes can be made visible by modern population genetic methods. The very dynamic evolution of GPCR can be analyzed from different perspectives: at the levels of sequence comparisons between species from different families, orders and classes, and at the level of populations within a species. Here, we summarize the main conclusions from studies at these different levels with a specific focus on the more recent evolutionary dynamics of GPCR.

Transcriptome analysis provides insights for understanding the adverse effects of endosulfan in Drosophila melanogaster

Indiscriminate use of agrochemicals worldwide, particularly, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), is of concern. Endosulfan, a POP, is used by various developing/developed nations and is known to adversely affect the development and the hormonal profiles of humans and animals. However, little is known about the molecular players/pathways underlying the adverse effects of endosulfan. We therefore analyzed the global gene expression changes and subsequent adverse effects of endosulfan using Drosophila. We used Drosophila melanogaster keeping in view of its well annotated genome and the wealth of genetic/molecular reagents available for this model organism. We exposed third instar larvae of D. melanogaster to endosulfan (2.0 μg mL(-1)) for 24 h and using microarray, we identified differential expression of 256 genes in exposed organisms compared to controls. These genes are associated with cellular processes such as development, stress and immune response and metabolism. Microarray results were validated through quantitative PCR and biochemical assay on a subset of genes/proteins. Taking cues from microarray data, we analyzed the effect of endosulfan on development, emergence and survival of the organism. In exposed organisms, we observed deformities in hind-legs, reminiscent of those observed in higher organisms exposed to endosulfan. In addition, we observed delayed and/or reduced emergence in exposed organisms when compared to their respective controls. Together, our studies not only highlight the adverse effects of endosulfan on the organism but also provide an insight into the possible genetic perturbations underlying these effects, which might have potential implications to higher organisms.

Life is sweet! A novel role for N-glycans in Drosophila lifespan

N-glycans are post-translational modifications in which the sugar chain is covalently linked to protein by a GlcNAcβ1-N-asparagine linkage. Drosophila melanogaster and other invertebrates, but not vertebrates, synthesize large amounts of "paucimannose" N-glycans that contain only three or four mannose residues. The enzyme UDP-GlcNAc:α3-D-mannoside β1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnTI, encoded by the Mgat1 gene) controls the synthesis of paucimannose N-glycans. Either deletion or neuron-specific knockdown of Mgat1 in wild type flies results in pronounced defects in locomotion, structural defects in the adult central nervous system and a severely reduced lifespan. We have recently shown that neuronal expression of a wild-type Mgat1 transgene in Mgat1-null flies rescues the structural defects in the brain (fused β-lobes) and the shortened lifespan and, surprisingly, results in a dramatic 135% increase in mean lifespan relative to genetically identical controls that do not express the transgene. In this review, we discuss various approaches that can be used to determine the roles of paucimannose N-glycans in Drosophila longevity and in the adult CNS.

Genetic approaches to aging in budding and fission yeasts: new connections and new opportunities

Yeasts are powerful model systems to examine the evolutionarily conserved aspects of eukaryotic aging because they maintain many of the same core cellular signaling pathways and essential organelles as human cells. We constructed a strain of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that could monitor the distribution of proteins involved in heterochromatic silencing and aging, and isolated mutants that alter this distribution. The largest class of such mutants cause defects in mitochondrial function, and appear to cause changes in nuclear silencing separate from the well-known Rtg2p-dependent pathway that alters nuclear transcription in response to the loss of the mitochondrial genome. Mutants that inactivate the ATP2 gene, which encodes the ATPase subunit of the mitochondrial F(1)F(0)-ATPase, were isolated twice in our screen and identify a lifespan extending pathway in a gene that is conserved in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The budding yeast S. cerevisiae S. cerevisiae has been used with great success to identify other lifespan-extending pathways in screens using surrogate phenotypes such as stress resistance or silencing to identify random mutants, or in high throughput screens that utilize the deletion strain set resource. However, the direct selection of long-lived mutants from a pool of random mutants is more challenging. We have established a new chronological aging assay for the evolutionarily distant fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe that recapitulates aspects of aging conserved in all eukaryotes. We have constructed a novel S. pombe S. pombe DNA insertion mutant bank, and used it to show that we can directly select for a long-lived mutant. The use of both the budding and fission yeast systems should continue to facilitate the identification and validation of lifespan extending pathways that are conserved in humans.

Changed gene expression for candidate ageing genes in long-lived Bicyclus anynana butterflies

Candidate genes for the regulation of lifespan have emerged from studies that use mutants and genetically manipulated model organisms. However, it is rarely addressed whether these genes contribute to lifespan variation in populations of these species that capture natural standing genetic variation. Here, we explore expression variation in three candidate ageing genes, Indy, sod2, and catalase, in Bicyclus anynana, a butterfly with well understood ecology. We used lines established from natural populations and artificially selected for increased adult starvation resistance. They show a considerable increase in adult lifespan under both starvation and optimal food conditions. We measured adult butterflies of various ages, under a range of optimal and starvation diets, from two selected populations and one unselected control population. In all lines, Indy and catalase are up-regulated in response to starvation while this is not evident for sod2. Under starvation, Indy and catalase are up-regulated in, while this is not evident for sod2. Under optimal food conditions, Indy is down-regulated at a later age, with Indy expression showing relatively high inter-individual variation. We find differences between the selected lines and the unselected line. Under starvation conditions, expression is higher for catalase in one, and for sod2 in both selected lines. Importantly, sod2 expression is also higher in the selected populations under optimal food conditions. We conclude that sod2, but not Indy, is involved in the response to artificial selection for increased starvation resistance. The role of catalase is less clear because of the differences between the two selected lines. Moreover, sod2 appears to be a candidate gene that underpins the genetic correlation between starvation resistance and longevity. Our study indicates that some, but not all, genes identified through mutant screens in other organisms may underpin standing genetic variation for ageing-related traits in stocks of Bicyclus butterflies established from natural populations. Clearly, this needs to be investigated in other organisms as well, especially in the organisms to which mutants screens were applied. This information will narrow down the list of genes that underpin variation in lifespan and ageing in extant populations of organisms, and which may serve as candidate genes in humans.

In the laboratory and during free-flight: old honey bees reveal learning and extinction deficits that mirror mammalian functional decline

Loss of brain function is one of the most negative and feared aspects of aging. Studies of invertebrates have taught us much about the physiology of aging and how this progression may be slowed. Yet, how aging affects complex brain functions, e.g., the ability to acquire new memory when previous experience is no longer valid, is an almost exclusive question of studies in humans and mammalian models. In these systems, age related cognitive disorders are assessed through composite paradigms that test different performance tasks in the same individual. Such studies could demonstrate that afflicted individuals show the loss of several and often-diverse memory faculties, and that performance usually varies more between aged individuals, as compared to conspecifics from younger groups. No comparable composite surveying approaches are established yet for invertebrate models in aging research. Here we test whether an insect can share patterns of decline similar to those that are commonly observed during mammalian brain aging. Using honey bees, we combine restrained learning with free-flight assays. We demonstrate that reduced olfactory learning performance correlates with a reduced ability to extinguish the spatial memory of an abandoned nest location (spatial memory extinction). Adding to this, we show that learning performance is more variable in old honey bees. Taken together, our findings point to generic features of brain aging and provide the prerequisites to model individual aspects of learning dysfunction with insect models.

A quantitative genetic study of starvation resistance at different geographic scales in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Food shortage is a stress factor that commonly affects organisms in nature. Resistance to food shortage or starvation resistance (SR) is a complex quantitative trait with direct implications on fitness. However, surveys of natural genetic variation in SR at different geographic scales are scarce. Here, we have measured variation in SR in sets of lines derived from nine natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster collected in western Argentina. Our study shows that within population variation explained a larger proportion of overall phenotypic variance (80%) than among populations (7·2%). We also noticed that an important fraction of variation was sex-specific. Overall females were more resistant to starvation than males; however, the magnitude of the sexual dimorphism (SD) in SR varied among lines and explained a significant fraction of phenotypic variance in all populations. Estimates of cross-sex genetic correlations suggest that the genetic architecture of SR is only partially shared between sexes in the populations examined, thus, facilitating further evolution of the SD.

Hepatic response to oxidative injury in long-lived Ames dwarf mice

Multiple stress resistance pathways were evaluated in the liver of Ames dwarf mice before and after exposure to the oxidative toxin diquat, seeking clues to the exceptional longevity conferred by this mutation. Before diquat treatment, Ames dwarf mice, compared with nonmutant littermate controls, had 2- to 6-fold higher levels of expression of mRNAs for immediate early genes and 2- to 5-fold higher levels of mRNAs for genes dependent on the transcription factor Nrf2. Diquat led to a 2-fold increase in phosphorylation of the stress kinase ERK in control (but not Ames dwarf) mice and to a 50% increase in phosphorylation of the kinase JNK2 in Ames dwarf (but not control) mice. Diquat induction of Nrf2 protein was higher in dwarf mice than in controls. Of 6 Nrf2-responsive genes evaluated, 4 (HMOX, NQO-1, MT-1, and MT-2) remained 2- to 10-fold lower in control than in dwarf liver after diquat, and the other 2 (GCLM and TXNRD) reached levels already seen in dwarf liver at baseline. Thus, livers of Ames dwarf mice differ systematically from controls in multiple stress resistance pathways before and after exposure to diquat, suggesting mechanisms for stress resistance and extended longevity in Ames dwarf mice.

The G protein-coupled receptors in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest and most versatile family of transmembrane receptors in the cell, occupying the highest hierarchical positions in the regulation of many physiological processes. Although they have been extensively studied in a number of model insects, there have been few investigations of GPCRs in large Lepidopterans, such as Bombyx mori, an organism that provides a means to perform detailed tissue expression analyses, which may help to characterize GPCRs and their ligands. In addition, B. mori, also known as the silkworm, is an insect of substantial economic importance, due to its use in silk production and traditional medicines. In this work, we computationally identified 90 putative GPCRs in B. mori, 33 of which represent novel proteins. These GPCRs were annotated and compared with their homologs in Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae. Phylogenetics analyses of the GPCRs from these three insects showed that GPCRs may easily duplicate or disappear during insect evolution, especially in the neuropeptide and protein hormone receptor subfamily. Interestingly, we observed a decrease in the quantity and diversity of the stress-tolerance gene, Methuselah, in B. mori, which may be related to its long history of domestication. Moreover, the presence of many Bombyx-specific GPCRs suggests that neither Drosophila nor Anopheles is good representatives for the GPCRs in the Class Insecta.

Epigenetic regulation of neuronal dendrite and dendritic spine development

Dendrites and the dendritic spines of neurons play key roles in the connectivity of the brain and have been recognized as the locus of long-term synaptic plasticity, which is correlated with learning and memory. The development of dendrites and spines in the mammalian central nervous system is a complex process that requires specific molecular events over a period of time. It has been shown that specific molecules are needed not only at the spine's point of contact, but also at a distance, providing signals that initiate a cascade of events leading to synapse formation. The specific molecules that act to signal neuronal differentiation, dendritic morphology, and synaptogenesis are tightly regulated by genetic and epigenetic programs. It has been shown that the dendritic spine structure and distribution are altered in many diseases, including many forms of mental retardation (MR), and can also be potentiated by neuronal activities and an enriched environment. Because dendritic spine pathologies are found in many types of MR, it has been proposed that an inability to form normal spines leads to the cognitive and motor deficits that are characteristic of MR. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling, and the noncoding RNA-mediated process, have profound regulatory roles in mammalian gene expression. The study of epigenetics focuses on cellular effects that result in a heritable pattern of gene expression without changes to genomic encoding. Despite extensive efforts to understand the molecular regulation of dendrite and spine development, epigenetic mechanisms have only recently been considered. In this review, we will focus on epigenetic mechanisms that regulate the development and maturation of dendrites and spines. We will discuss how epigenetic alterations could result in spine abnormalities that lead to MR, such as is seen in fragile X and Rett syndromes. We will also discuss both general methodology and recent technological advances in the study of neuronal dendrites and spines.

Quantitative and molecular genetic analyses of mutations increasing Drosophila life span

Understanding the genetic and environmental factors that affect variation in life span and senescence is of major interest for human health and evolutionary biology. Multiple mechanisms affect longevity, many of which are conserved across species, but the genetic networks underlying each mechanism and cross-talk between networks are unknown. We report the results of a screen for mutations affecting Drosophila life span. One third of the 1,332 homozygous P-element insertion lines assessed had quantitative effects on life span; mutations reducing life span were twice as common as mutations increasing life span. We confirmed 58 mutations with increased longevity, only one of which is in a gene previously associated with life span. The effects of the mutations increasing life span were highly sex-specific, with a trend towards opposite effects in males and females. Mutations in the same gene were associated with both increased and decreased life span, depending on the location and orientation of the P-element insertion, and genetic background. We observed substantial--and sex-specific--epistasis among a sample of ten mutations with increased life span. All mutations increasing life span had at least one deleterious pleiotropic effect on stress resistance or general health, with different patterns of pleiotropy for males and females. Whole-genome transcript profiles of seven of the mutant lines and the wild type revealed 4,488 differentially expressed transcripts, 553 of which were common to four or more of the mutant lines, which include genes previously associated with life span and novel genes implicated by this study. Therefore longevity has a large mutational target size; genes affecting life span have variable allelic effects; alleles affecting life span exhibit antagonistic pleiotropy and form epistatic networks; and sex-specific mutational effects are ubiquitous. Comparison of transcript profiles of long-lived mutations and the control line reveals a transcriptional signature of increased life span.

Curcumin extends life span, improves health span, and modulates the expression of age-associated aging genes in Drosophila melanogaster

BACKGROUND

Curcumin, an extract from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa (turmeric), has been widely used as a spice and herbal medicine in Asia. It has been suggested to have many biological activities, such as antioxidative, antiinflammatory, anticancer, chemopreventive, and antineurodegenerative properties. We evaluated the impact of curcumin on life span, fecundity, feeding rate, oxidative stress, locomotion, and gene expression in two different wild-type Drosophila melanogaster strains, Canton-S and Ives, under two different experimental conditions.

RESULTS

We report that curcumin extended the life span of two different strains of D. melanogaster, an effect that was accompanied by protection against oxidative stress, improvement in locomotion, and chemopreventive effects. Life span extension was gender and genotype specific. Curcumin also modulated the expression of several aging-related genes, including mth, thor, InR, and JNK.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed positive effects of curcumin on life span and health span in two different D. melanogaster strains demonstrate a potential applicability of curcumin treatment in mammals. The ability of curcumin to mitigate the expression levels of age-associated genes in young flies suggests that the action of curcumin on these genes is a cause, rather than an effect, of its life span-extending effects.

Mutation and the evolution of ageing: from biometrics to system genetics

A notable success for evolutionary genetics during the past century was to generate a coherent, quantitative explanation for an apparent evolutionary paradox: the tendency for multicellular organisms to show declining fitness with age (senescence, often referred to simply as 'ageing'). This general theory is now widely accepted and explains most of the features of senescence that are observed in natural and laboratory populations, but specific instantiations of that theory have been more controversial. To date, most of the empirical tests of these models have relied on data generated from biometric experiments. Modern population genetics and genomics provide new, and probably more powerful, ways to test ideas that are still controversial more than half a century after the original theory was developed. System-genetic experiments have the potential to address both evolutionary and mechanistic questions about ageing by identifying causal loci and the genetic networks with which they interact. Both the biometrical approaches and the newer approaches are reviewed here, with an emphasis on the challenges and limitations that each method faces.

Neuronal expression of Mgat1 rescues the shortened life span of Drosophila Mgat11 null mutants and increases life span

The enzyme UDP-GlcNAc:alpha3-D-mannoside beta1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnT1, encoded by Mgat1) controls the synthesis of paucimannose N-glycans in Drosophila. We have previously reported that null mutations in Drosophila Mgat1 are viable but exhibit defects in locomotion, brain abnormalities, and a severely reduced life span. Here, we show that knockdown of Mgat1 in the central nervous system (CNS) of wild-type flies decreases locomotor activity and life span. This phenotype is similar to that observed in Drosophila Mgat1(1) null mutants, demonstrating that Mgat1 is required in the CNS. We also found that neuronal expression of a wild-type Mgat1 transgene rescued the shortened life span of Mgat1(1) null mutants and resulted in a dramatic 135% increase in mean life span relative to genetically identical controls. Neuronal expression of a wild-type Mgat1 transgene in wild-type flies resulted in a modest 9% increase in mean life span relative to genetically identical controls. In both Mgat1(1) null mutants and wild-type flies, neuronal expression of wild-type Mgat1 transgene resulted in a significant increase in GnT1 activity and resistance to oxidative stress. Whereas dietary restriction is not absolutely essential for the increased life span, it plays a role in the process. Interestingly, we observe a direct correlation between GnT1 activity and mean life span up to a maximum of appropriately 136 days, showing that the ability of GnT1 activity to increase life span is limited. Altogether, these observations suggest that Mgat1-dependent N-glycosylation plays an important role in the control of Drosophila life span.