scholarly journals Sex, mating and repeatability of Drosophila melanogaster longevity

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 210273
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Hoffman ◽  
Sophie K. Dudeck ◽  
Heather K. Patterson ◽  
Steven N. Austad
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Significant Variation ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Reproductive Costs ◽  
Strong Component ◽  
Costs Of Reproduction ◽  
Fitness Components ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Laboratory Changes

Costs of reproduction are seemingly ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, and these reproductive costs are generally defined by increased reproduction leading to decreases in other fitness components, often longevity. However, some recent reports question whether reproductive costs exist in every species or population. To provide insight on this issue, we sought to determine the extent to which genetic variation might play a role in one type of reproductive cost—survival—using Drosophila melanogaster . We found, surprisingly, no costs of reproduction nor sex differences in longevity across all 15 genetic backgrounds in two cohorts. We did find significant variation within some genotypes, though these were much smaller than expected. We also observed that small laboratory changes lead to significant changes in longevity within genotypes, suggesting that longevity repeatability in flies may be difficult. We finally compared our results to previously published longevities and found that reproducibility is similar to what we saw in our own laboratory, further suggesting that stochasticity is a strong component of fruit fly lifespan. Overall, our results suggest that there are still large gaps in our knowledge about the effects of sex and mating, as well as genetic background and laboratory conditions on lifespan reproducibility.

scholarly journals Robustness of bristle number to temperature and genetic background varies with bristle type and is regulated by miR-9a

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Matamoro-Vidal ◽  
T. Tully ◽  
V. Courtier-Orgogozo
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Environmental Variation ◽  
Essential Property ◽  
Bristle Number ◽  
Mean And Variance ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
The Way

AbstractRobustness is the invariance of a given phenotype when faced with a given incoming genetic or environmental variation. Such essential property is being studied in a wide diversity of traits in many organisms but it is difficult to compare the results obtained on the robustness of different traits with each other given the differences that exist between traits in the way they are measured, in their genetic architecture and development. In this study, we assessed robustness of bristle number to incoming genetic and environmental variation for eight bristle types in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, allowing for a straightforward comparison of the robustness observed between bristle types. We measured the response of bristle number mean and variance to changes in temperature and in the number of copies of two genes (scute and miR-9a) known to be involved in bristle development. Many combinations between the three factors were tested, thus allowing to test for the effect of each factor in different contexts for the two other factors – to which we refer herein as different backgrounds. We have found different responses between bristle types, suggesting that they present different levels of robustness to the factors tested. In addition, we have found that temperature and miR-9a affect more generally the variance of the traits rather than their means, thus fulfilling a criteria usually admitted to identify robustness factors.

scholarly journals Interactions among Genetic Background, Anesthetic Agent, and Oxygen Concentration Shape Blunt Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes in Drosophila melanogaster

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6926
Author(s):  
Amanda R. Scharenbrock ◽  
Hannah J. Schiffman ◽  
Zachariah P. G. Olufs ◽  
David A. Wassarman ◽  
Misha Perouansky
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
General Anesthetics ◽  
Secondary Injuries ◽  
Locomotor Impairment

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), the time window during which secondary injuries develop provides a window for therapeutic interventions. During this time, many TBI victims undergo exposure to hyperoxia and anesthetics. We investigated the effects of genetic background on the interaction of oxygen and volatile general anesthetics with brain pathophysiology after closed-head TBI in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. To test whether sevoflurane shares genetic risk factors for mortality with isoflurane and whether locomotion is affected similarly to mortality, we used a device that generates acceleration–deceleration forces to induce TBI in ten inbred fly lines. After TBI, we exposed flies to hyperoxia alone or in combination with isoflurane or sevoflurane and quantified mortality and locomotion 24 and 48 h after TBI. Modulation of TBI–induced mortality and locomotor impairment by hyperoxia with or without anesthetics varied among fly strains and among combinations of agents. Resistance to increased mortality from hyperoxic isoflurane predicted resistance to increased mortality from hyperoxic sevoflurane but did not predict the degree of locomotion impairment under any condition. These findings are important because they demonstrate that, in the context of TBI, genetic background determines the latent toxic potentials of oxygen and anesthetics.

scholarly journals Effects of Temperature on Lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster from Different Genetic Backgrounds: Links between Metabolic Rate and Longevity

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 470
Author(s):  
Mateusz Mołoń ◽  
Jan Dampc ◽  
Monika Kula-Maximenko ◽  
Jacek Zebrowski ◽  
Agnieszka Mołoń ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Metabolic Activity ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Isothermal Calorimetry ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Total Heat Flow ◽  
Isothermal Calorimeter

Despite many studies of the aging process, questions about key factors ensuring longevity have not yet found clear answers. Temperature seems to be one of the most important factors regulating lifespan. However, the genetic background may also play a key role in determining longevity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the temperature, genetic background (fruit fly origin), and metabolic rate on lifespan. Experiments were performed with the use of the wild type Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies originating from Australia, Canada, and Benin and the reference OregonR strain. The metabolic rate of D. melanogaster was measured at 20 °C, 25 °C, and 28 °C in an isothermal calorimeter. We found a strong negative relationship between the total heat flow and longevity. A high metabolic rate leads to increased aging in males and females in all strains. Furthermore, our results showed that temperature has a significant effect on fecundity and body weight. We also showed the usefulness of the isothermal calorimetry method to study the effect of environmental stress conditions on the metabolic activity of insects. This may be particularly important for the forecasting of impact of global warming on metabolic activity and lifespan of various insects.

scholarly journals Mannitol ingestion causes concentration-dependent, sex-specific mortality in adults of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Fiocca ◽  
Meghan Barrett ◽  
Edward A. Waddell ◽  
Cheyenne McNair ◽  
Sean O’Donnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Reproductive Costs ◽  
Female Mortality ◽  
Male Mortality ◽  
Single Sex ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Males And Females

AbstractMannitol, a sugar alcohol used in commercial food products, induced sex-specific mortality in the fruit flyDrosophila melanogasterwhen ingested at a single concentration (1M), and female mortality was greater than male mortality. We hypothesized that sex differences in energy needs, related to reproductive costs, contribute to increased mortality in females compared to males. To test for the effects of reproductive costs, we compared longevity to 21 days of actively mating and non-mating flies fed various concentrations of mannitol. We also asked whether mannitol-induced mortality was concentration-dependent for both males and females, and if mannitol’s sex-specific effects were consistent across concentrations. Females and males both showed concentration-dependent increases in mortality, but female mortality was consistently higher at all concentrations above 0.75M. Fly longevity to 21 days decreased further for both sexes when housed in mixed sex vials (as compared to single sex vials), suggesting the increased energetic demands of reproduction for both sexes may increase ingestion of mannitol. Mannitol fed to larvae did not alter emerging adult sex ratios, suggesting that sex-specific mortality due to mannitol occurs only in adults.

scholarly journals Hox dosage contributes to flight appendage morphology in Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Paul ◽  
Guillaume Giraud ◽  
Katrin Domsch ◽  
Marilyne Duffraisse ◽  
Frédéric Marmigère ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Differential Expression ◽  
Hox Genes ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Hox Proteins ◽  
Spatial Expression ◽  
Flying Insects

AbstractFlying insects have invaded all the aerial space on Earth and this astonishing radiation could not have been possible without a remarkable morphological diversification of their flight appendages. Here, we show that characteristic spatial expression profiles and levels of the Hox genes Antennapedia (Antp) and Ultrabithorax (Ubx) underlie the formation of two different flight organs in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We further demonstrate that flight appendage morphology is dependent on specific Hox doses. Interestingly, we find that wing morphology from evolutionary distant four-winged insect species is also associated with a differential expression of Antp and Ubx. We propose that variation in the spatial expression profile and dosage of Hox proteins is a major determinant of flight appendage diversification in Drosophila and possibly in other insect species during evolution.

scholarly journals Quantitative investigation reveals distinct phases in Drosophila sleep

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochan Xu ◽  
Wei Yang ◽  
Binghui Tian ◽  
Xiuwen Sui ◽  
Weilai Chi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Infrared Camera ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Genetic Dissection ◽  
Power Law Distribution ◽  
Quantitative Investigation ◽  
Waking Up ◽  
Set Up

AbstractThe fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a model organism for the molecular and genetic dissection of sleeping behaviors. However, most previous studies were based on qualitative or semi-quantitative characterizations. Here we quantified sleep in flies. We set up an assay to continuously track the activity of flies using infrared camera, which monitored the movement of tens of flies simultaneously with high spatial and temporal resolution. We obtained accurate statistics regarding the rest and sleep patterns of single flies. Analysis of our data has revealed a general pattern of rest and sleep: the rest statistics obeyed a power law distribution and the sleep statistics obeyed an exponential distribution. Thus, a resting fly would start to move again with a probability that decreased with the time it has rested, whereas a sleeping fly would wake up with a probability independent of how long it had slept. Resting transits to sleeping at time scales of minutes. Our method allows quantitative investigations of resting and sleeping behaviors and our results provide insights for mechanisms of falling into and waking up from sleep.

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