Drosophila drop-dead mutations accelerate the time course of age-related markers - PubMed (original) (raw)

B Rogina et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997.

Abstract

Mutations of the drop-dead gene in Drosophila melanogaster lead to striking early death of the adult animal. At different times, after emergence from the pupa, individual flies begin to stagger and, shortly thereafter, die. Anatomical examination reveals gross neuropathological lesions in the brain. The life span of flies mutant for the drop-dead gene is four to five times shorter than for normal adults. That raises the question whether loss of the normal gene product might set into motion a series of events typical of the normal aging process. We used molecular markers, the expression patterns of which, in normal flies, change with age in a manner that correlates with life span. In the drop-dead mutant, there is an acceleration in the temporal pattern of expression of these age-related markers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 2

Figure 2

Temporal patterns of expression of the wg gene in the antennae of adult drop-dead vs. control males. (A) Photomicrographs of whole-mount adult antennae from animals containing one autosomal copy of the wg enhancer-trap chromosome, with or without drop-dead on the X-chromosome, reacted with X-Gal to reveal blue staining in cells expressing β-gal. Each is a typical example from over 10 flies at each age after emergence of the adult. (B) Relative amount of β-gal expressed in the combined third and fifth antennal segments of drop-dead vs. control males at 25°C, plotted against chronological age. (C) Plotted against percent life span. (Bars = SEM.)

Figure 3

Figure 3

Temporal patterns of expression of the en gene in the antennae of drop-dead vs. control males at 25°C. (A) Plotted against chronological age. (B) Plotted against percent life span. Each animal contained one autosomal copy of the en enhancer-trap chromosome, with or without drop-dead on the X-chromosome. (Bars = SEM.) Photographs not shown because the high level of expression in en makes it difficult to see differences in photographs that are clearly seen using the computer-assisted optical system.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Effect of drop-dead on life span. (A) Survival curves of adult male drop-dead and control flies at 25°C. (B) drop-dead males at 25°C vs. 18°C. All animals in this figure contain one autosomal copy of the en enhancer-trap P-element insert, with or without drop-dead on the X-chromosome.

Figure 4

Figure 4

Temporal patterns of expression of the 206 enhancer trap-marked gene in the antennae of drop-dead vs. control males at 18°C. (A) Photomicrographs of whole-mount adult antennae reacted with X-Gal. Each is a typical example from over 10 flies at each age. (B) Relative amount of β-gal expressed in the antennae, plotted vs. chronological age. (C) Plotted vs. percent life span. Each animal contained one autosomal copy of the 206 enhancer-trap insertion, with or without drop-dead on the X-chromosome. (Bars = SEM.)

References

    1. Kaplan W D, Trout W E. Genetics. 1969;61:399–409. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Griswold C M, Matthews A L, Bewley K E, Mahaffey J W. Genetics. 1993;134:781–788. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Orr W C, Sohal R S. Science. 1994;263:1128–1130. - PubMed
    1. Orr W C, Arnold L A, Sohal R S. Mech Ageing Dev. 1992;63:287–296. - PubMed
    1. Sohal R, Agarwal A, Agarwal S, Orr W C. J Biol Chem. 1995;270:15671–15674. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources