title: Genome-Wide Gene Expression in relation to Age in Large Laboratory Cohorts of Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: Aging is a complex process characterized by a steady decline in an organism's ability to perform life-sustaining tasks. In the present study, two cages of approximately 12,000 mated Drosophila melanogaster females were used as a source of RNA from individuals sampled frequently as a function of age. A linear model for microarray data method was used for the microarray analysis to adjust for the box effect; it identified 1,581 candidate aging genes. Cluster analyses using a self-organizing map algorithm on the 1,581 significant genes identified gene expression patterns across different ages. Genes involved in immune system function and regulation, chorion assembly and function, and metabolism were all significantly differentially expressed as a function of age. The temporal pattern of data indicated that gene expression related to aging is affected relatively early in life span. In addition, the temporal variance in gene expression in immune function genes was compared to a random set of genes. There was an increase in the variance of gene expression within each cohort, which was not observed in the set of random genes. This observation is compatible with the hypothesis that D. melanogaster immune function genes lose control of gene expression as flies age.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849, USA.
authors.forename: Kylee
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849, USA.
authors.forename: Anjeza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pashaj
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849, USA.
authors.forename: Darby J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Eudy
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Harshman