High-frequency generation of conditional mutations affecting Drosophila melanogaster development and life span

Overexpression of isoform B of Dgp-1 gene enhances locomotor activity in senescent Drosophila males and under heat stress

Here, we describe the longevity and locomotor behavior of senescent Drosophila males with altered expression of Dgp-1 gene. In comparison with the wild-type Canton-S (CS) males, six characteristics of the phenotype of Dgp-1[843k] mutant were found: (1) low expression of isoform A; (2) augmented expression of isoform B; (3) reduction in the mean lifespan; (4) decrease in the running speed in 3-day-old flies; (5) maintenance of a high run frequency in senescent flies; and (6) resistance to heat stress manifested as maintenance of a high run frequency at 29 °C. After cessation of "cantonization" process, mean lifespan of the mutant males drifted from low to high values finally exceeding that for CS. In contrast, behavioral phenotype of the mutant was robust. Using the GAL4/UAS system, we showed that neurospecific overexpression of isoform B resulted in a slight decrease of longevity and a high level of run frequency in the senescent flies, similar to that in Dgp-1[843K] mutant. In addition, a decreased level of reactive oxygen species was found in Dgp-1[843K] mutant males maintained under stress conditions. The elevated resistance to oxidative stress probably explains the two distinctive features of the mutation: resistance to aging processes and thermal stress displayed at behavioral level.

Gene CG15630 (fipi) is involved in regulation of the interpulse interval in Drosophila courtship song

To study the central pattern generators functioning, previously we identified genes, whose neurospecific knockdowns led to deviations in the courtship song of Drosophila melanogaster males. Reduced expression of the gene CG15630 caused a decrease in the interpulse interval. To investigate the role of CG15630, which we have called here fipi (factor of interpulse interval), in the courtship song production, at first, we have characterized fipi transcripts and protein (FIPI) in the mutant flies carrying P insertion and deletions in this gene and in flies with its RNAi knockdown. FIPI is homologous to the mammalian NCAM2 protein, an important factor of neuronal development in the olfactory system. In this study, we have revealed that local fipi knockdown in the antennal olfactory sensory neurons (OR67d and IR84a), which are responsible for reception of chemosignals modulating courtship behavior, alters the interpulse interval in the opposite directions. Thus, a proper fipi expression seems to be necessary for perception of sexual chemosignals, and the effect of fipi knockdown on IPI value depends on the type of chemoreceptor neurons affected.

Genetic analysis of variation in lifespan using a multiparental advanced intercross Drosophila mapping population

BACKGROUND

Considerable natural variation for lifespan exists within human and animal populations. Genetically dissecting this variation can elucidate the pathways and genes involved in aging, and help uncover the genetic mechanisms underlying risk for age-related diseases. Studying aging in model systems is attractive due to their relatively short lifespan, and the ability to carry out programmed crosses under environmentally-controlled conditions. Here we investigate the genetic architecture of lifespan using the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR), a multiparental advanced intercross mapping population.

RESULTS

We measured lifespan in females from 805 DSPR lines, mapping five QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) that each contribute 4-5 % to among-line lifespan variation in the DSPR. Each of these QTL co-localizes with the position of at least one QTL mapped in 13 previous studies of lifespan variation in flies. However, given that these studies implicate >90 % of the genome in the control of lifespan, this level of overlap is unsurprising. DSPR QTL intervals harbor 11-155 protein-coding genes, and we used RNAseq on samples of young and old flies to help resolve pathways affecting lifespan, and identify potentially causative loci present within mapped QTL intervals. Broad age-related patterns of expression revealed by these data recapitulate results from previous work. For example, we see an increase in antimicrobial defense gene expression with age, and a decrease in expression of genes involved in the electron transport chain. Several genes within QTL intervals are highlighted by our RNAseq data, such as Relish, a critical immune response gene, that shows increased expression with age, and UQCR-14, a gene involved in mitochondrial electron transport, that has reduced expression in older flies.

CONCLUSIONS

The five QTL we isolate collectively explain a considerable fraction of the genetic variation for female lifespan in the DSPR, and implicate modest numbers of genes. In several cases the candidate loci we highlight reside in biological pathways already implicated in the control of lifespan variation. Thus, our results provide further evidence that functional genetics tests targeting these genes will be fruitful, lead to the identification of natural sequence variants contributing to lifespan variation, and help uncover the mechanisms of aging.

Basic mechanisms of longevity: A case study of Drosophila pro-longevity genes

Drosophila is one of the most convenient model organisms in the genetics of aging and longevity. Unlike the nematodes, which allow for the detection of new pro-aging genes by knockout and RNAi-mediated knock-down, Drosophila also provides an opportunity to find new pro-longevity genes by driver-induced overexpression. Similar studies on other models are extremely rare. In this review, we focused on genes whose overexpression prolongs the life of fruit flies. The majority of longevity-associated genes regulates metabolism and stress resistance, and belongs to the IGF-1R, PI3K, PKB, AMPK and TOR metabolic regulation cluster and the FOXO, HDAC, p53 stress response cluster.

The transcriptional landscape of age in human peripheral blood

Disease incidences increase with age, but the molecular characteristics of ageing that lead to increased disease susceptibility remain inadequately understood. Here we perform a whole-blood gene expression meta-analysis in 14,983 individuals of European ancestry (including replication) and identify 1,497 genes that are differentially expressed with chronological age. The age-associated genes do not harbor more age-associated CpG-methylation sites than other genes, but are instead enriched for the presence of potentially functional CpG-methylation sites in enhancer and insulator regions that associate with both chronological age and gene expression levels. We further used the gene expression profiles to calculate the ‘transcriptomic age' of an individual, and show that differences between transcriptomic age and chronological age are associated with biological features linked to ageing, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, fasting glucose, and body mass index. The transcriptomic prediction model adds biological relevance and complements existing epigenetic prediction models, and can be used by others to calculate transcriptomic age in external cohorts.

Ageing increases the risk of many diseases. Here the authors compare blood cell transcriptomes of over 14,000 individuals and identify a set of about 1,500 genes that are differently expressed with age, shedding light on transcriptional programs linked to the ageing process and age-associated diseases.

Reduced expression of alpha-1,2-mannosidase I extends lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans

Exposure to sub-lethal levels of stress, or hormesis, was a means to induce longevity. By screening for mutations that enhance resistance to multiple stresses, we identified multiple alleles of alpha-1,2-mannosidase I (mas1) which, in addition to promoting stress resistance, also extended longevity. Longevity enhancement is also observed when mas1 expression is reduced via RNA interference in both Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. The screen also identified Edem1 (Edm1), a gene downstream of mas1, as a modulator of lifespan. As double mutants for both mas1 and Edm1 showed no additional longevity enhancement, it appeared that both mutations function within a common pathway to extend lifespan. Molecular analysis of these mutants revealed that the expression of BiP, a putative biomarker of dietary restriction (DR), is down-regulated in response to reductions in mas1 expression. These findings suggested that mutations in mas1 may extend longevity by modulating DR.

Adult-specific over-expression of the Drosophila genes magu and hebe increases life span and modulates late-age female fecundity

During Drosophila aging mortality rate increases exponentially and progeny production per animal declines dramatically, correlating with decreased number and division of somatic and germ-line stem cells in the gonads. To search for genes that might promote both longevity and fecundity, a P element transposon (PdL), containing an outwardly directed, doxycycline-inducible promoter was used to generate conditional mutations. Mutant females were screened for increased fecundity at late ages in the presence of doxycycline. Two genes were identified, named hebe (CG1623) and magu (CG2264), that when over-expressed in adult flies could increase life span by approximately 5-30% in both sexes and increase female fecundity at late ages. Transcripts for magu are enriched in the Drosophila stem cell niche region, and magu encodes a protein related to the human SMOC2 regulator of angiogenesis. While moderate over-expression of magu in adult females increased fecundity at late ages, high-level over-expression of magu was maternal-effect lethal. The data demonstrate that adult-specific over-expression of hebe and magu can increase life span and modulate female fecundity, and provide further evidence against obligatory trade-offs between reproduction and longevity.

Conditional switches for extracellular matrix patterning in Drosophila melanogaster

An F(1) mutagenesis strategy was developed to identify conditional mutations affecting extracellular matrix (ECM) patterning. Tubulogenesis requires coordinated movement of epithelial cells and deposition of a multilayered ECM. In the Drosophila ovary, an epithelium of follicle cells creates the eggshells, including the paired tubular dorsal appendages (DAs) that act as breathing tubes for the embryo. A P-element mutagenesis strategy allowed for conditional overexpression of hundreds of genes in follicle cells. Conditional phenotypes were scored at the level of individual mutant (F(1)) female flies. ECM pattern regulators were readily identified including MAPK signaling gene ets domain lacking (fused DAs), Wnt pathway genes frizzled 3 and osa (long DAs), Hh pathway gene debra (branched DAs), and transcription factor genes sima/HIF-1alpha, ush, lilli, Tfb1, broad, and foxo. In moving cells the [Ca(2+)]/calcineurin pathway can regulate adhesion to ECM while adherens junctions link cells together. Accordingly, thin eggshell and DA phenotypes were identified for the calcineurin regulator calreticulin and the adherens junction component arc. Finally a tubulogenesis defect phenotype was identified for the gene pterodactyl, homologous to the mammalian serine/threonine receptor-associated protein (STRAP) that integrates the TGF-beta and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Because phenotypes can be scored in each mutant fly before and after gene induction, this F(1) conditional mutagenesis strategy should allow for increased scale in screens for mutations affecting repeated (reiterated) events in adult animals, including gametogenesis, movement, behavior, and learning.

Dynamic developmental elaboration of N-linked glycan complexity in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo

The structural diversity of glycoprotein N-linked oligosaccharides is determined by the expression and regulation of glycosyltransferase activities and by the availability of the appropriate acceptor/donor substrates. Cells in different tissues and in different developmental stages utilize these control points to manifest unique glycan expression patterns in response to their surroundings. The activity of a Toll-like receptor, called Tollo/Toll-8, induces a pattern of incompletely defined, but neural specific, glycan expression in the Drosophila embryo. Understanding the full extent of the changes in glycan expression that result from altered Tollo/Toll-8 signaling requires characterization of the complete N-linked glycan profile of both wild-type and mutant embryos. N-Linked glycans harvested from wild-type or mutant embryos were subjected to direct structural analysis by analytic and preparative high pressure liquid chromatography, by multidimensional mass spectrometry, and by exoglycosidase digestion, revealing a predominance of high mannose and paucimannose glycans. Di-, mono-, and nonfucosylated forms of hybrid, complex biantennary, and triantennary glycans account for 12% of the total wild-type glycan profile. Two sialylated glycans bearing N-acetylneuraminic acid were detected, the first direct demonstration of this modification in Drosophila. Glycan profiles change during normal development consistent with increasing alpha-mannosidase II and core fucosyl-transferase enzyme activities, and with decreasing activity of the Fused lobes processing hexosaminidase. In tollo/toll-8 mutants, a dramatic, expected loss of difucosylated glycans is accompanied by unexpected decreases in monofucosylated and nonfucosylated hybrid glycans and increases in some nonfucosylated paucimannose and biantennary glycans. Therefore, tollo/toll-8 signaling influences flux through several processing steps that affect the maturation of N-linked glycans.

Alteration of Drosophila life span using conditional, tissue-specific expression of transgenes triggered by doxycyline or RU486/Mifepristone

The conditional systems Tet-on and Geneswitch were compared and optimized for the tissue-specific expression of transgenes and manipulation of life span in adult Drosophila. Two versions of Tet-on system reverse-tetracycline-Trans-Activator (rtTA) were compared: the original rtTA, and rtTAM2-alt containing mutations designed to optimize regulation and expression. The rtTAM2-alt version gave less leaky expression of target constructs in the absence of doxycyline, however the absolute level of expression that could be achieved was less than that produced by rtTA, in contrast to a previous report. Existing UAS-rtTAM2-alt insertions were re-balanced, and combined with several tissue-general and tissue-specific GAL4 driver lines to yield tissue-specific, doxycyline-inducible transgene expression over three orders of magnitude. The Geneswitch (GS) system also had low background, but the absolute level of expression was low relative to Tet-on. Consequently, actin5C-GS multi-insert chromosomes were generated and higher-level expression was achieved without increased background. Moderate level over-expression of MnSOD has beneficial effects on life span. Here high-level over-expression of MnSOD was found to have toxic effects. In contrast, motor-neuron-specific over-expression of MnSOD had no detectable effect on life span. The results suggest that motor-neuron tissue is not the essential tissue for either MnSOD induced longevity or toxicity in adult males.

A deletion in the golgi alpha-mannosidase II gene of Caenorhabditis elegans results in unexpected non-wild-type N-glycan structures

The processing of N-linked oligosaccharides by alpha-mannosidases in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi is a process conserved in plants and animals. After the transfer of a GlcNAc residue to Asn-bound Man(5)GlcNAc(2) by N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I, an alpha-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.114) removes one alpha1,3-linked and one alpha1,6-linked mannose residue. In this study, we have identified the relevant alpha-mannosidase II gene (aman-2; F58H1.1) from Caenorhabditis elegans and have detected its activity in both native and recombinant forms. For comparative studies, the two other cDNAs encoding class II mannosidases aman-1 (F55D10.1) and aman-3 (F48C1.1) were cloned; the corresponding enzymes are, respectively, a putative lysosomal alpha-mannosidase and a Co(II)-activated alpha-mannosidase. The analysis of the N-glycan structures of an aman-2 mutant strain demonstrates that the absence of alpha-mannosidase II activity results in a shift to structures not seen in wild-type worms (e.g. N-glycans with the composition Hex(5-7)HexNAc(2-3)Fuc(2)Me) and an accumulation of hybrid oligosaccharides. Paucimannosidic glycans are almost absent from aman-2 worms, indicative also of a general lack of alpha-mannosidase III activity. We hypothesize that there is a tremendous flexibility in the glycosylation pathway of C. elegans that does not impinge, under standard laboratory conditions, on the viability of worms with glycotypes very unlike the wild-type pattern.

The Drosophila fused lobes Gene Encodes an N-Acetylglucosaminidase Involved in N-Glycan Processing

Most processed, e.g. fucosylated, N-glycans on insect glycoproteins terminate in mannose, yet the relevant modifying enzymes require the prior action of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I. This led to the hypothesis that a hexosaminidase acts during the course of N-glycan maturation. To determine whether the Drosophila melanogaster genome indeed encodes such an enzyme, a cDNA corresponding to fused lobes (fdl), a putative beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase with a potential transmembrane domain, was cloned. When expressed in Pichia pastoris, the enzyme exhibited a substrate specificity similar to that previously described for a hexosaminidase activity from Sf-9 cells, i.e. it hydrolyzed exclusively the GlcNAc residue attached to the alpha1,3-linked mannose of the core pentasaccharide of N-glycans. It also hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminide, but not chitooligosaccharides; in contrast, Drosophila HEXO1 and HEXO2 expressed in Pichia cleaved both these substrates but not N-glycans. The localization of recombinant FDL tagged with green fluorescent protein in Drosophila S2 cells by immunoelectron microscopy showed that this enzyme transits through the Golgi, is present on the plasma membrane and in multivesicular bodies, and is secreted. Finally, the N-glycans of two lines of fdl mutant flies were analyzed by mass spectrometry and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The ratio of structures with terminal GlcNAc over those without (i.e. paucimannosidic N-glycans) was drastically increased in the fdl-deficient flies. Therefore, we conclude that the fdl gene encodes a novel hexosaminidase responsible for the occurrence of paucimannosidic N-glycans in Drosophila.

Genetic approaches to study aging in Drosophila melanogaster

The process of aging can be described as a progressive decline in an organism's function that invariably results in death. This decline results from the activities of intrinsic genetic factors within an organism. The relative contributions of the biological and environmental components to senescence are hard to measure, however different strategies have been devised in Drosophila melanogaster to isolate and identify genetic influences on aging. These strategies include selective breeding, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and single gene mutant analysis. Selective breeding effectively demonstrated a genetic, heritable component to aging while QTL mapping located regions within the Drosophila genome carrying loci that influence the aging process. Within the past decade, single gene mutant analysis has facilitated the identification of specific genes whose activities play a determinative role in Drosophila aging. This review will focus on the application of selective breeding, QTL mapping and single gene mutant analysis used in Drosophila to study aging as well as the results obtained through these strategies to date.

Effects of simultaneous over-expression of Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD on Drosophila melanogaster life span

The FLP-out technique, based on yeast FLP recombinase, allows induced over-expression of transgenes in Drosophila adults. With FLP-out control and over-expressing flies have identical genetic backgrounds and therefore differences in life span must result from transgene induction. The amount of over-expression achieved varies between independent transgenic lines, and previously for both Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD life span was found to be increased in proportion to the increase in enzyme activity. To determine if greater increases in enzyme and life span could be achieved with FLP-out, enzyme over-expression and life span were analyzed in eight lines containing two MnSOD transgenes, three lines containing three MnSOD transgenes, and three lines containing a MnSOD transgene plus a Cu/ZnSOD transgene. Life span was again found to be increased in proportion to the increase in MnSOD enzyme activity, with increases of up to 40% in mean and maximum life span. However the increases in enzyme activity and life span conferred per transgene were reduced when more than one transgene was present at the same time. When the reduced efficiency of enzyme over-expression per transgene was taken into account, simultaneous over-expression of MnSOD and Cu/ZnSOD was found to have partially additive effects on life span.

SNR1 is an essential subunit in a subset of Drosophila brm complexes, targeting specific functions during development

The snr1 gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a conserved component of the multiprotein Brahma (Brm) complex, a counterpart to the SWI/SNF complexes that participate in ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling. Loss-of-function and null mutations in the snr1 gene reveal its essential role in Drosophila development. We identified new mutant alleles and ectopically expressed deleted forms to dissect the specific functions of SNR1. Somatic and germ cell clone analyses confirmed its requirement in a continuous and widespread fashion for proper cell fate determination and oogenesis. Expression of SNR1 transgenes revealed unexpected roles in wing patterning, abdomen development, oogenesis, and sustained adult viability. A widespread distribution of SNR1 and BRM on the salivary gland polytene chromosomes showed that the Brm complex associated with many genes, but not always at transcribed loci, consistent with genetic data suggesting roles in both gene activation and repression. Despite essential Brm complex functions in leg development, genetic and protein localization studies revealed that snr1 was not required or expressed in all tissues dependent on Brm complex activities. Thus, SNR1 is essential for some, but not all Brm functions, and it likely serves as an optional subunit, directing Brm complex activity to specific gene loci or cellular processes.

A search for doxycycline-dependent mutations that increase Drosophila melanogaster life span identifies the VhaSFD, Sugar baby, filamin, fwd and Cctl genes

BACKGROUND

A P-type transposable element called PdL has been engineered with a doxycycline-inducible promoter directed out through the 3' end of the element. Insertion of PdL near the 5' end of a gene often yields doxycycline-dependent overexpression of that gene and a mutant phenotype. This functional genomics strategy allows for efficient screening of large numbers of genes for overexpression phenotypes.

RESULTS

PdL was mobilized to around 10,000 new locations in the Drosophila melanogaster genome and used to search for genes that would extend life span when overexpressed. Six lines were identified in which there was a 5-17% increase in life span in the presence of doxyxcycline. The mutations were molecularly characterized and in each case a gene was found to be overexpressed using northern blots. Two genes did not have previously known phenotypes and are implicated in membrane transport: VhaSFD encodes a regulatory subunit of the vacuolar ATPase proton pump (H+-ATPase), whereas Sugar baby (Sug) is related to a maltose permease from Bacillus. Three PdL mutations identified previously characterized genes: filamin encodes the homolog of an actin-polymerizing protein that interacts with presenilins. four wheel drive (fwd) encodes a phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase (PI 4-kinase) and CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase-l (Cctl) encodes the rate-limiting enzyme in phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Finally, an apparently novel gene (Red herring, Rdh) was found in the first intron of the encore gene.

CONCLUSIONS

Screening for conditional mutations that increase Drosophila life span has identified genes implicated in membrane transport, phospholipid metabolism and signaling, and actin cytoskeleton organization.

The Drosophila SNR1 (SNF5/INI1) subunit directs essential developmental functions of the Brahma chromatin remodeling complex

The Drosophila melanogaster Brahma (Brm) complex, a counterpart of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex, is important for proper development by maintaining specific gene expression patterns. The SNR1 subunit is strongly conserved with yeast SNF5 and mammalian INI1 and is required for full activity of the Brm complex. We identified a temperature-sensitive allele of snr1 caused by a single amino acid substitution in the conserved repeat 2 region, implicated in a variety of protein-protein interactions. Genetic analyses of snr1(E1) reveal that it functions as an antimorph and that snr1 has critical roles in tissue patterning and growth control. Temperature shifts show that snr1 is continuously required, with essential functions in embryogenesis, pupal stages, and adults. Allele-specific genetic interactions between snr1(E1) and mutations in genes encoding other members of the Brm complex suggest that snr1(E1) mutant phenotypes result from reduced Brm complex function. Consistent with this view, SNR1(E1) is stably associated with other components of the Brm complex at the restrictive temperature. SNR1 can establish direct contacts through the conserved repeat 2 region with the SET domain of the homeotic regulator Trithorax (TRX), and SNR1(E1) is partially defective for functional TRX association. As truncating mutations of INI1 are strongly correlated with aggressive cancers, our results support the view that SNR1, and specifically the repeat 2 region, has a critical role in mediating cell growth control functions of the metazoan SWI/SNF complexes.

A call to fins! Zebrafish as a gerontological model

Among the wide variety of model organisms commonly used for studies on aging, such as worms, flies and rodents, a wide research gap exists between the invertebrate and vertebrate model systems. In developmental biology, a similar gap has been filled by the zebrafish (Danio rerio). We propose that the zebrafish is uniquely suited to serve as a bridge model for gerontology. With high fecundity and economical husbandry requirements, large populations of zebrafish may be generated quickly and cheaply, facilitating large-scale approaches including demographic studies and mutagenesis screens. A variety of mutants identified in such screens have led to modelling of human disease, including cardiac disorders and cancer. While zebrafish longevity is at least 50% longer than in commonly used mouse strains, as an ectothermic fish species, its life span may be readily modulated by caloric intake, ambient temperature and reproductive activity. These features, coupled with a growing abundance of biological resources, including an ongoing genome sequencing project, make the zebrafish a compelling model organism for studies on aging.

Longevity determination genes in Drosophila melanogaster

Identification of longevity mutants is crucial for genetic approach to dissect the molecular mechanism of aging and longevity determination. In Drosophila melanogaster, several mutations have been shown to extend the longevity: methuselah encoding a putative G-protein coupled receptor, Indy encoding a sodium dicarboxylate cotransporter, chico encoding insulin receptor substrate, and InR encoding the insulin-like receptor. Extended longevity phenotypes were also observed in transgenic flies overexpressing antioxidant enzymes, Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase and Catalase, Cu/Zn SOD only, or a molecular chaperone, hsp70. Pleiotropism of mutations is a limitation associated with conventional mutagenesis for efficient detection of longevity determination genes. Using a conditional misexpression system, we identified Drosophila POSH (DPOSH), a scaffold protein containing RING finger and four SH3 domains, whose ubiquitous overexpression in adult stage extends the longevity. Neural-specific overexpression of DPOSH is sufficient to extend the longevity, whereas overexpression in non-neural tissues during development induces apoptosis through activation of JNK/SAPK pathway.

Doxycycline-induced expression of sense and inverted-repeat constructs modulates phosphogluconate mutase (Pgm) gene expression in adult Drosophila melanogaster

BACKGROUND

A tetracycline-regulated (conditional) system for RNA interference (RNAi) would have many practical applications. Such a strategy was developed using RNAi of the gene for phosphogluconate mutase (Pgm). Pgm is a candidate lifespan regulator: PgmS allele frequency is increased by selection for increased lifespan, whereas PgmM and PgmF allele frequencies are decreased.

RESULTS

The Pgm alleles were cloned and sequenced and were found to differ by amino-acid substitutions consistent with the relative electrophoretic mobilities of the proteins. The 'tet-on' doxycycline-regulated promoter system was used to overexpress PgmS in a wild-type (PgmM) background. Enzyme activity increases of two- to five-fold were observed in five independent transgenic lines. Tet-on was also used to drive expression of an inverted-repeat fragment of Pgm coding region. The inverted-repeat transcript was expected to form a dsRNA hairpin, induce RNAi, and thereby reduce endogenous Pgm gene expression at the RNA level. Endogenous Pgm RNA levels in adult flies were found to be reduced or eliminated by doxycycline treatment in five independent inverted-repeat transgenic lines. Our results show that doxycycline-regulated expression of inverted-repeat constructs can cause a conditional reduction in specific gene expression. The effect of sense and inverted-repeat construct expression on lifespan was assayed in multiple transgenic lines. Under the conditions tested, altered Pgm gene expression had no detectable effect on adult Drosophila lifespan.

CONCLUSIONS

A system for conditional RNAi in Drosophila adults shows promise for assay of gene functions during aging. Our results indicate that Pgm does not have a simple strong effect on longevity.