Target of rapamycin activation predicts lifespan in fruit flies

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2015-09Author
Scialò, Filippo
Sriram, Ashwin
Sanz, Alberto
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Scialò, Filippo;
Sriram, Ashwin;
Naudí i Farré, Alba;
Ayala Jové, Ma. Victoria (Maria Victoria);
Jové Font, Mariona;
Pamplona Gras, Reinald;
Sanz, Alberto;
.
(2015)
.
Target of rapamycin activation predicts lifespan in fruit flies.
Cell Cycle, 2015, vol. 14, núm. 18, p. 2949-2958.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15384101.2015.1071745.
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Show full item recordAbstract
Aging and age-related diseases are one of the most important health issues that the world will confront during the
21st century. Only by understanding the proximal causes will we be able to find treatments to reduce or delay the onset
of degenerative diseases associated with aging. Currently, the prevalent paradigm in the field is the accumulation of
damage. However, a new theory that proposes an alternative explanation is gaining momentum. The hyperfunction
theory proposes that aging is not a consequence of a wear and tear process, but a result of the continuation of
developmental programs during adulthood. Here we use Drosophila melanogaster, where evidence supporting both
paradigms has been reported, to identify which parameters that have been previously related with lifespan best predict
the rate of aging in wild type flies cultured at different temperatures. We find that mitochondrial function and
mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) generation correlates with metabolic rate, but not with the rate of
aging. Importantly, we find that activation of nutrient sensing pathways (i.e. insulin-PI3K/Target of rapamycin (Tor)
pathway) correlates with lifespan, but not with metabolic rate. Our results, dissociate metabolic rate and lifespan in wild
type flies and instead link nutrient sensing signaling with longevity as predicted by the hyperfunction theory.
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Cell Cycle, 2015, vol. 14, núm. 18, p. 2949-2958European research projects
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