Effects of different concentrations of commercial black chokeberry fruit extract (Aronia melanocarpa [Michx] Ell.) on fitness components and wing morphology in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster Meigen v1 (protocols.io.kqucvww)

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.

Download Full-text

Geroprotective effects of ×Sorbaronia mitschurinii fruit extract on Drosophila melanogaster

Journal of Berry Research ◽

10.3233/jbr-211502 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Elena Y. Platonova ◽

Nadezhda V. Zemskaya ◽

Mikhail V. Shaposhnikov ◽

Denis A. Golubev ◽

Daria V. Kukuman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Stress Resistance ◽

Ethanolic Extract ◽

Intergeneric Hybrid ◽

Duration Of Treatment ◽

Fruit Extract ◽

Stress Response Genes ◽

Aronia Melanocarpa ◽

The Relationship ◽

Age And Sex

BACKGROUND: ×Sorbaronia mitschurinii (also known as Aronia mitschurinii) is an intergeneric hybrid of×Sorbaronia fallax and Aronia melanocarpa. ×S. mitschurinii berry is a rich source of phytochemicals such as flavonoids and anthocyanins, which have a broad range of health benefits and a great geroprotective potential. OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to investigate the geroprotective effects of Sorbaronia berry ethanolic extract (SBE) in Drosophila melanogaster and whether these effects depend on the concentration of SBE, duration of treatment, age, and sex. METHODS: SBE was used to supplement a diet of Drosophila imagoes throughout life, during 2 weeks after the imago hatching, and from 4 to 6 weeks of age. The relationship between the SBE effects on lifespan, stress resistance and the expression of stress response genes were examined. RESULTS: SBE treatment at 1-2 and 4-6 weeks of life increased the lifespan, while treatment throughout life reduced lifespan. SBE treatment increased Drosophila resistance to oxidative stress and starvation, but not to hyperthermia. A statistically significant effect of SBE treatment on the expression level of per, keap1, hif1, hsp27, hsp68, hsp83, and sirt1 genes in flies of both sexes and on sod1 expression only in female flies was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: The observed relationship between SBE concentration and lifespan effects suggests that the life-extending effect of SBE may be associated with the mechanism of hormesis.

Download Full-text

Sex, mating and repeatability of Drosophila melanogaster longevity

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.210273 ◽

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.

Download Full-text

Soil properties and tree growth of organic black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) grown under biodegradable plastic mulch

Research on Crops ◽

10.31830/2348-7542.2019.048 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Biodegradable Plastic ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Aronia Melanocarpa ◽

Black Chokeberry

Download Full-text

Variations in Triterpenoid Deposition in Cuticular Waxes during Development and Maturation of Selected Fruits of Rosaceae Family

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21249762 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (24) ◽

pp. 9762

Author(s):

Soyol Dashbaldan ◽

Cezary Pączkowski ◽

Anna Szakiel

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Pathways ◽

Cuticular Waxes ◽

Rosa Rugosa ◽

Phenological Stages ◽

Aronia Melanocarpa ◽

Fruit Samples ◽

Black Chokeberry ◽

Rosaceae Family ◽

Fruit Surface

The process of fruit ripening involves many chemical changes occurring not only in the mesocarp but also in the epicarp, including changes in the triterpenoid content of fruit cuticular waxes that can modify the susceptibility to pathogens and mechanical properties of the fruit surface. The aim of the study was the determination of the ripening-related changes in the triterpenoid content of fruit cuticular waxes of three plant species from the Rosaceae family, including rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa), black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa var. “Galicjanka”) and apple (Malus domestica var. “Antonovka”). The triterpenoid and steroid content in chloroform-soluble cuticular waxes was determined by a GC-MS/FID method at four different phenological stages. The profile of identified compounds was rather similar in selected fruit samples with triterpenoids with ursane-, oleanane- and lupane-type carbon skeletons, prevalence of ursolic acid and the composition of steroids. Increasing accumulation of triterpenoids and steroids, as well as the progressive enrichment of the composition of these compounds in cuticular wax during fruit development, was observed. The changes in triterpenoid content resulted from modifications of metabolic pathways, particularly hydroxylation and esterification, that can alter interactions with complementary functional groups of aliphatic constituents and lead to important changes in fruit surface quality.

Download Full-text

Quantitative investigation reveals distinct phases in Drosophila sleep

Communications Biology ◽

10.1038/s42003-021-01883-y ◽

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.

Download Full-text