Mitochondria and ageing in Drosophila.
Studies in different organisms have revealed that ageing is a complex process involving a tight regulation of gene expression. Among other features, ageing organisms generally display an increased oxidative stress and a decreased mitochondrial function. The increase in oxidative stress can be attributable to reactive oxygen species, which are mainly produced by mitochondria as a by-product of energy metabolism. Consistent with these data, mitochondria have been suggested to play a significant role in lifespan determination. The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster is a well-suited organism to study ageing as it is relatively short-lived, mainly composed of post-mitotic cells, has sequenced nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and multiple genetic tools are available. It has been used in genome-wide studies to unveil the molecular signature of ageing, in different feeding and dietary restriction protocols and in overexpression and down-regulation studies to examine the effect of specific compounds or genes/proteins on lifespan. Here we review the various features linking mitochondria and ageing in Drosophila melanogaster.
Morrow
Geneviève
G
Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Genetics, Department of Medicine, CREFSIP, Pav CE-Marchand, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
Tanguay
Robert M
RM
D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins