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| Limits: Publication Date from 1991/01/01 to 1991/12/31 |
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Geographical and age-related variation in the activity of some enzymes associated with insecticide detoxification in sandflies (Diptera: Phlebotominae).
Munir MA, Hemingway J, Lane RP.
Public Health Division, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan.
The activity of glutathione s-transferase (GST), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and esterases (EST1, EST2) was measured using microtitre plate assays of laboratory colonised Phlebotomus papatasi originating in Afghanistan, Cyprus, India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Tunisia. The mean enzyme activity of the seven populations was significantly different. Enzyme activity did not vary significantly with age in sandflies, unlike some mosquitoes. A baseline enzyme activity for susceptibility is proposed for P. papatasi.
PMID: 1841242 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Laboratory bionomics of the newly colonized sandfly Phlebotomus bergeroti Parrot.
Hanafi H, Fryauff D.
U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
A colony of Phlebotomus bergeroti was established from blooded females collected in Djibouti. The colony is currently in its 12th generation and demonstrates a high degree of autogeny despite efforts to select for blood-feeding. Studies of the bionomics of this species included an assessment of the effects of human blood, hamster blood, and sucrose on egg production, viability, and development of the F1 progeny.
PMID: 1841220 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Telomeres--what's new at the end?
Henderson ER, Larson DD.
Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University, Ames 50011.
Telomeres are specialized chromatin domains located at the ends of chromosomes. They are involved in chromosome replication, stability and localization in the nucleus. In addition to these functions, recent work suggests that telomeres are involved in such superficially diverse cellular phenomena as ageing, cancer, nuclear architecture and nuclear/cellular division.
Publication Types:
PMID: 1822287 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Giemsa stain as a marker in the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii.
Kleckner CA, Bradshaw WE.
Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403.
Third and fourth instars of Wyeomyia smithii were reared in Giemsa stain at 4 concentrations between 4 x 10(-7) and 10(-5) g/liter. The mosquitoes retained the blue mark as adults and remained marked throughout their laboratory life. Concentration of Giemsa significantly affected eclosion success but had no significant effect on mean days to pupation or days as a pupa, male or female adult longevity, per-capita female fecundity or fertility. Larval exposure to low concentrations (4 x 10(-7) or 10(-6) g/liter) of Giemsa stain provides an effective lifetime tag for otherwise indistinguishable laboratory populations.
PMID: 1686278 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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How long is the human life-span?
Barinaga M.
Publication Types:
PMID: 1948078 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Comment in:
Interspecies comparisons of A/D ratios: A/D ratios are not constant across species.
Daston GP, Rogers JM, Versteeg DJ, Sabourin TD, Baines D, Marsh SS.
Human and Environmental Safety Division, Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio 45239.
The hypothesis that the ratio of the adult (A) and developmental (D) toxicity of a chemical is constant across animal species has been proposed as the basis for identifying developmental hazards, both from traditional developmental toxicity screens using laboratory mammals and from alternative systems such as the coelenterate Hydra attenuata. The purpose of this study was to determine whether A/D ratios are constant across species. The developmental and adult toxicity of 14 chemicals was assessed in four phylogenetically different species. The chemicals tested were aminopterin, bromodeoxyuridine, cadmium chloride, caffeine, congo red, dinocap, dinoseb, diphenylhydantoin, epinephrine, ethylenethiourea, 2-methoxyethanol, mirex, all-trans-retinoic acid, and trypan blue. These chemicals are representative of a variety of toxic mechanisms and a range of potencies. Species used were the CD-1 mouse (Mus musculus), South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), and fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). The mouse is a commonly used model for developmental toxicity. The other species are known to be sensitive to mammalian toxicants and have well-studied embryologies. Mice were exposed to chemicals either po or by sc injection using a standard Segment II protocol in which pregnant mice are administered the test agent on a daily basis from Gestation Days 6 to 15, adult toxicity is evaluated during and after treatment, and developmental toxicity is evaluated in fetuses at term. The exposure duration spans the period of organ formation in the embryo. The other species were exposed to test agents for a developmentally comparable period. This was from blastulation (shortly after fertilization) to the free-swimming tadpole stage in Xenopus (4 days); from blastulation to the free-swimming fry stage in Pimephales (7 days); and for the entire larval period, the period of development of the imaginal discs, in Drosophila (6 days). Adults of each species were exposed to test agents for 4, 7, and 6 days, respectively. The route of exposure was via the water column in the two aquatic species and via the diet in Drosophila. Statistical lowest observed effect level (LOEL) and no observed effect level (NOEL) values were generated for adult and developmental toxicity in each species. A/D ratios were calculated using both LOEL and NOEL values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
PMID: 1843185 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Hydrogen peroxide production by mitochondria may be a biomarker of aging.
Sohal RS.
Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275.
The hypothesis that rate of intracellular prooxidant production is associated with the rate of aging was tested by comparing the rate of H2O2 generation by mitochondria in houseflies of similar chronological but different physiological ages. Physiological age represents the life expectancy or 'nearness to death'. Average and maximum life spans of flies were extended 2-fold by the elimination of flying activity. In addition, using senescence-related loss of flight ability as a phenotypic marker of impending death, relatively short-lived and long-lived subpopulations of flies were isolated from cohort populations. Rate of H2O2 generation was measured fluorometrically in mitochondria from thoracic flight muscles using alpha-glycerophosphate as a substrate and without employing any respiratory inhibitors as is often the case in mammalian studies. The rate of mitochondrial H2O2 release was found to be associated with life expectancy or the physiological age of flies rather than the chronological age. At the same chronological age, mitochondria from flies with a shorter life expectancy had a markedly higher rate of H2O2 generation than those with a longer life expectancy. Results of this and some previous studies in this laboratory are interpreted to suggest that the rate of prooxidant generation rather than the level of antioxidant defenses may be a key correlate of the rate of aging.
PMID: 1745074 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Growth cone behavior underlying the development of stereotypic synaptic connections in Drosophila embryos.
Halpern ME, Chiba A, Johansen J, Keshishian H.
Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
Each muscle fiber in the segmented body wall of Drosophila larvae is innervated by anatomically stereotyped neuromuscular junctions. These synapses arise through the selective choices of motoneuronal growth cones at their peripheral targets. Using digital optical microscopy of staged intracellular dye fills, we have singly identified embryonic motoneurons and have examined individual growth cones when they contact and differentiate at the target cells. There is a precise connectivity between motoneuron and muscle fiber, which is the direct consequence of growth cone behavior. We have also found that Drosophila muscle fibers possess molecularly heterogeneous cell surfaces that may be involved in growth cone recognition of appropriate targets. Fasciclin III, a homophilic adhesion molecule, is coexpressed by several of the efferent growth cones and in a site-specific fashion by the target muscle fiber's membrane. The fasciclin III expression is transient, corresponding to the period in embryogenesis when the first neuromuscular contacts are made. Upon encountering the target cell surface, the growth cones can sprout stereotypically arrayed filopodial processes, orient along the anterior-posterior axis, and turn in predictable directions. Subsequently, terminal branches are established in a nonrandom order. These phenomena were found to occur in two motoneurons that innervate adjacent muscle fiber targets, and may be general features of neuromuscular synaptogenesis in Drosophila.
PMID: 1658247 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
 
Morphology of a sensory neuron in Drosophila is abnormal in memory mutants and changes during aging.
Corfas G, Dudai Y.
Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Several mutations in Drosophila impair learning and the cAMP cascade. We report here that the fine morphology of an identified mechanosensory neuron is abnormal in two of these mutants, dunce (dnc) and rutabaga (rut). The neuron innervating the antero-notopleural bristle was filled with horseradish peroxidase and studied at the light- and electron-microscopy level. In the mutants dnc and rut, this neuron has an abnormally large number of side branches and varicosities in a defined segment of the axon. In wild-type flies, age tends to decrease the number of side branches and variacosities in the same axonal segment that is affected by the mutations. Ultrastructural studies are compatible with the interpretation that the varicosities are potential synaptic sites. The results suggest that the cAMP cascade plays a role in shaping neuronal connectivity.
PMID: 1714597 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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An ethylene-responsive flower senescence-related gene from carnation encodes a protein homologous to glutathione S-transferases.
Meyer RC Jr, Goldsbrough PB, Woodson WR.
Department of Horticulture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
Carnation flower petal senescence is associated with the expression of specific senescence-related mRNAs, several of which were previously cloned. The cDNA clone pSR8 represents a transcript which accumulates specifically in senescing flower petals in response to ethylene. Here we report the structural characterization of this cDNA. A second cDNA clone was isolated based on shared sequence homology with pSR8. This clone, pSR8.4, exhibited an overlapping restriction endonuclease map with pSR8 and contained an additional 300 nucleotides. Primer extension analysis revealed the combined cDNAs to be near full-length and the transcript to accumulate in senescing petals. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of SR8 cDNAs revealed an open reading frame of 220 amino acids sufficient to encode a 25 kDa polypeptide. Comparison of the deduced polypeptide sequence of pSR8 with other peptide sequences revealed significant similarity with glutathione s-transferases from a variety of organisms. The predicted polypeptide sequence shared 44%, 53% and 52% homology with GSTs from maize, Drosophila and man, respectively. We discuss our results in relation to the biochemistry of flower petal senescence and the possible role of glutathione s-transferase in this developmental process.
PMID: 1863781 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Life history of Spalangia gemina Boucek (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a fast-breeding microhymenopteran pupal parasitoid of muscoid flies.
Morgan PB, Berti-Filho E, Costa VA.
Insects Affecting Man and Animals Research Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Gainesville, Florida 32604.
Laboratory studies at 25.5 degrees C and 70-75% r.h. demonstrated that the average daily survival rate for females of the parasitoid Spalangia gemina Boucek (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was 0.907 over a 20-day period, with 50% mortality in 17.3 days. Mean immature developmental time of S.gemina was 22 days and the population growth rate was c. 40-fold per generation. The females successfully parasitized 1-, 2- and 3-day-old pupae of Musca domestica L. and parasitism of 98-100% was obtained at parasitoid to host ratios of 1:0.5-2.5. Parasitism of 81-87% was obtained at parasitoid to host ratios of 1:10. The male to female sex ratio was 1:1.59. S.gemina appears to have advantages over other Spalangia spp., which have immature development times of 28-32 days under comparable conditions, for the biological control of Muscidae.
PMID: 1768920 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Estimation of survival and gonotrophic cycle length of Culicoides variipennis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in California.
Work TM, Mullens BA, Jessup DA.
Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis 95616.
The use of a time series analysis to estimate the survival rate and gonotrophic cycle length of Culicoides variipennis at 2 California sites is described. Collections were made daily for 28 days in Yolo County (northern California) and for 25 days in Riverside County (southern California) in July and August of 1989, respectively, using CO2-baited suction traps. The time series analysis of these collections yielded a gonotrophic cycle length estimate of 3 days. Stage-specific and daily survivorship estimates 0.242 and 0.623, respectively, were determined for the northern California site. The time series method was found unsuitable for estimating the gonotrophic cycle length or daily survivorship at the southern California site.
PMID: 1895081 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Telomeres.
Greider CW.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York.
Telomeres are essential for chromosome stability and replication. Maintaining a balance between telomere shortening and lengthening is essential for cell viability. Recent work on telomeres from yeast, Drosophila and mammals, and on telomerase has provided insight into the mechanisms of both the shortening and lengthening processes.
Publication Types:
PMID: 1892656 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Aging affects expression of 70-kDa heat shock proteins in Drosophila.
Niedzwiecki A, Kongpachith AM, Fleming JE.
Ryoichi Sasakawa Center for Aging Research, Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94306.
We examined the effect of cellular aging on adult mortality and hsp70 gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster under thermal stress. The results showed that flies exposed to 37 degrees C for various time intervals had reduced survival rate with age. The level of hsp70 mRNA increases in flies up to 23-28 days of age, but then declines as they get older. When flies are shifted to 25 degrees C after 30 min of heat stress, the time-dependent decrease in hsp70 mRNA levels occurs more rapidly in young flies than in old ones. The hsp70 mRNA present during this recovery period is translated into protein, and senescent flies continue to synthesize this protein for up to 5 h after heat shock. The prolonged expression of hsp70 RNA during recovery from heat shock was also observed in young flies fed canavanine, an arginine analogue. These data suggest that in old insects, the accumulation of conformationally altered proteins plays a role in the regulation of hsp70 RNA expression. These results are discussed in relation to the finding that old flies are more sensitive to thermal stress than young ones.
PMID: 1902836 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Preliminary evidence for photochemical ageing in Drosophila.
Massie HR, Whitney SJ.
Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Utica, NY 13501.
Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon R) males were exposed to visible light intensities varying from 0.3 to 7300 lux at environmental temperatures of 30, 35 and 37 degrees C, on a 12-h light/dark diurnal rhythm. At 30 degrees C reducing the light exposure from 7300 to 4 lux increased the median life span by 141%. At 35 degrees C reducing the light exposure from 4650 to 0.3 lux increased the life span by 389%. At 37 degrees C a reduction from 6580 to 0.3 lux increased life span by 453%. Even dim light (65 lux) affected life span in a negative manner. Two phases of response to light were identified, with a slow change in life span occurring below 400 lux and a more rapid rate of change above 400 lux. We conclude that visible light may be a major factor in the ageing process for Drosophila and that photochemical effects may contribute to senescence in other organisms. Possible alternative reasons for the effect of light on the life span of Drosophila include changes in body temperature, physical activity and oxygen consumption.
PMID: 2038213 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Cytoplasmic influence on the expression of nuclear genes affecting life span in Drosophila melanogaster.
Yonemura I, Motoyama T, Hasekura H, Boettcher B.
Department of Legal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
In earlier studies we have found that the difference between short and long life spans of two inbred strains of Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by nuclear major genes. The present study has revealed a cytoplasmic factor that influences the expression of the nuclear longevity genes. The factor shows a typical maternal inheritance and is considered to be an extranuclear gene, such as mitochondrial DNA (chondriome). This paper marks the discovery of two basic forms of inheritance, nuclear and extra-nuclear, in the genetics of life span of D. melanogaster. These findings suggest that further studies, including genetic engineering, on longevity and aging might enable direct manipulation of these characters.
PMID: 1905688 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Quantitative genetics of postponed aging in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Analysis of selected lines.
Hutchinson EW, Shaw AJ, Rose MR.
Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Quantitative genetic analyses of Drosophila melanogaster stocks with postponed aging have suffered from the problem of a lack of certainty concerning patterns of allelic differentiation. The present experiments were designed to alleviate this difficulty by selecting for enhanced levels of characters known to be related to postponed aging. Selection successfully increased the degree of differentiation of postponed aging stocks with respect to starvation resistance and fecundity, but persistent additive genetic variance suggested that selection did not result in fixation of alleles. The artificially selected stocks were subjected to crosses to test for patterns of dominance and maternal effects. There was little evidence for these effects in the inheritance of the characters underlying postponed aging, even with the increased differentiation of the selected stocks.
PMID: 1903117 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Quantitative genetics of postponed aging in Drosophila melanogaster. I. Analysis of outbred populations.
Hutchinson EW, Rose MR.
Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Selection has been used to create replicated outbred stocks of Drosophila melanogaster with increased longevity, increased later fecundity, and increased levels of physiological performance at later ages. The present study analyzed the quantitative transmission patterns of such stocks, employing extensive replication in numbers of stocks, individuals, and assayed characters. The populations used derived from five lines with postponed aging and five control lines, all created in 1980 from the same founding base population. The following characters were studied: early 24-hr fecundity, early ovary weight, early female starvation resistance, early male starvation resistance, female longevity and male longevity. Numerous crosses were performed to test for non-Mendelian inheritance, average dominance, maternal effects, sex-linkage and between-line heterogeneity. There was only slight evidence for any of these phenomena arising reproducibly in the characters studied. These findings suggest the value of this set of stocks for studies of the physiological basis of postponed aging.
PMID: 1903116 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Melatonin: a chronobiotic with anti-aging properties?
Armstrong SM, Redman JR.
Psychology Department, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Recently, it has been reported that melatonin administration extends the lifespan of mice, a finding which supports previous research on the effects of pinealectomy and pineal extract administration. The prolongation of lifespan by melatonin has been interpreted in favour of an upregulation of the immune system as well as due to anti-stress properties of melatonin acting via the brain opioid system. In this paper we offer an alternative explanation of melatonin's anti-aging effect: the circadian pacemaker system has a diminished amplitude with age as indexed by a decrease in circulating melatonin levels. Stability of the circadian system correlates with its amplitude and loss of circadian amplitude produces lability which, in turn, leads to internal temporal disorder. Internal temporal disorder may be a precursor of disease states. Exogenous melatonin increases the amplitude of the circadian pacemaker system by feedback onto that system. The hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei are thought to be the mammalian biological clock in the brain and have high concentrations of melatonin receptors. Therefore, melatonin administration in pharmacological doses may prevent aging symptoms by acting at the level of the circadian pacemaker's amplitude.
Publication Types:
PMID: 1865836 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Induction of dominant lethal mutations for control of the facefly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer.
Mansour YM, Krafsur ES.
Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames 50011.
1. Application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) to the facefly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer, is considered. 2. Six-day-old pupae were exposed to ionizing irradiation at doses in the range 100-1600 rads, each treatment being replicated six times. 3. Eclosion was unaffected but fecundity and fertility was inversely proportional to the radiation dose. 4. 1600 rads gave 97% dominant lethality of sperm in treated males and suppressed ovarian development in females. Irradiated flies did not recover fertility. 5. Irradiation of males and females did not affect insemination rates. 6. Sterile males showed a decline in longevity and reduced mating competitiveness. 7. Local eradication of M. autumnalis is considered to be feasible if sufficient diapausing sterile flies are stockpiled and released in early spring, followed by additional releases of non-diapausing flies in late spring and early summer, with further releases of diapausing sterile flies in late summer and autumn.
PMID: 1768911 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Hydrogen peroxide release by mitochondria increases during aging.
Sohal RS, Sohal BH.
Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275.
The effect of aging on the release of H2O2 by mitochondria was studied in the housefly in order to elucidate the causes of previously observed age-related increase in the level of oxidative stress. Intact flight muscle mitochondria of the housefly, supplemented with alpha-glycerophosphate, produce 1-2 nmol H2O2/min per mg protein, even in the absence of respiratory inhibitors. The rate of H2O2 secretion progressively increases approximately 2-fold during aging of the fly. Neither uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation nor mechanical damage to mitochondria during the isolation procedure appear to be responsible for the age-related increase in H2O2 production. Activities of NADH-ferricyanide reductase, succinate-ubiquinone reductase, and NADH-, succinate- and alpha-glycerophosphate-cytochrome c reductases, were approximately 2-fold higher in mitochondria from the old than those from the young flies. However, the concentration of enzymatically reducible ubiquinone remained unchanged with age. Infliction of damage by exposure of mitochondria to free radical-generating systems in vitro caused an increase in the rate of H2O2 generation. Glutaraldehyde, an intermolecular crosslinking agent, induced an increase in the rate of H2O2 generation by mitochondria. Results of this study demonstrate that aging in the housefly is associated with an increase in the rate of H2O2 generation by mitochondria probably due, at least in part, to self-inflicted damage by mitochondria. Intermolecular cross-linking in the inner mitochondrial membrane can contribute towards the increased H2O2 generation.
PMID: 1904965 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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On the developmental theory of ageing. I. starvation resistance and longevity in Drosophila melanogaster in relation to pre-adult breeding conditions.
Zwaan BJ, Bijlsma R, Hoekstra RF.
Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands.
The developmental theory of ageing predicts a positive correlation between developmental time and adult longevity. Experiments that vary larval density and food level have been carried out to test this prediction. The results show differences in viability, developmental time, starvation resistance and adult longevity. It is concluded that pre-adult developmental time is not a causal factor for the determination of adult longevity in Drosophila melanogaster. The observed variation in adult longevity is discussed in relation to viability selection and changed adult physiology.
PMID: 1901303 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Relationship between genotypes of longevity genes and developmental speed in Drosophila melanogaster.
Yonemura I, Motoyama T, Hasekura H, Boettcher B.
Department of Legal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Hatching time (the period between egg-laying and hatching) and emerging time were surveyed and their relationship with the adult life span was investigated. A relationship between emerging time and adult life span was clearly evident: early emergers were often long-lived. This relation is considered to have a genetic basis because all the larvae in a group were bred in the same culture bottle. Thus, the longevity genes involved also appear to have control over the rate of development. No significant relation was observed between hatching time and adult life span or between hatching time and emerging time. These results suggest that the function of the longevity genes begins at the larval or pupal stage before emergence, and that adult life spans differentiate at this time.
PMID: 1901302 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Expression of bovine superoxide dismutase in Drosophila melanogaster augments resistance of oxidative stress.
Reveillaud I, Niedzwiecki A, Bensch KG, Fleming JE.
Sasakawa Center for Aging Research, Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94306.
Superoxide dismutases (SOD) play a major role in the intracellular defense against oxygen radical damage to aerobic cells. In eucaryotes, the cytoplasmic form of the enzyme is a 32-kDa dimer containing two copper and two zinc atoms (CuZn SOD) that catalyzes the dismutation of the superoxide anion (O2-) to H2O2 and O2. Superoxide-mediated damage has been implicated in a number of biological processes, including aging and cancer; however, it is not certain whether endogenously elevated levels of SOD will reduce the pathological events resulting from such damage. To understand the in vivo relationship between an efficient dismutation of O2- and oxidative injury to biological structures, we generated transgenic strains of Drosophila melanogaster overproducing CuZn SOD. This was achieved by microinjecting Drosophila embryos with P-elements containing bovine CuZn SOD cDNA under the control of the Drosophila actin 5c gene promoter. Adult flies of the resulting transformed lines which expressed both mammalian and Drosophila CuZn SOD were then used as a novel model for evaluating the role of oxygen radicals in aging. Our data show that expression of enzymatically active bovine SOD in Drosophila flies confers resistance to paraquat, an O2(-)-generating compound. This is consistent with data on adult mortality, because there was a slight but significant increase in the mean lifespan of several of the transgenic lines. The highest level of expression of the active enzyme in adults was 1.60 times the normal value.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
PMID: 1899285 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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[The possibility of using a mass of Aedes aegypti pupae and imagoes for determining the amount of blood they consume]
[Article in Russian]
Rasnitsyn SP, Zvantsov AB, Iasiukevich VV.
A close correlation between the mass of mosquito chrysa1ises, imago and the amount of the consumed blood makes it possible to determine the latter parameter using any other one according to the formulas presented in the article, the accuracy of determination depending on the accuracy of the weighing technique. The method can be used with mosquitos of any age and warm-blooded donors. The use of an indirect method determining the amount of the consumed blood (by the mass of mosquitos or chrysalises) makes it possible to decrease considerably labour expenses on the acquisition of the necessary information, reduce the likelihood of biomaterial spoiling and predict the results in advance.
PMID: 2067464 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Drosophila to bacteriophage to erythrocyte: the erythrocyte as a model for molecular and membrane aging of terminally differentiated cells.
Kay MM.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson.
Senescent cell antigen appears on old cells and marks them for death by initiating the binding of IgG autoantibody and subsequent removal by phagocytes in mammals and other vertebrates. Although the initial studies are done using erythrocytes as a model, senescent cell antigen has been found on all cells examined. Oxidation generates senescent cell antigen in situ. Senescent cell antigen is generated by the modification of an important structural and transport membrane molecule, protein band 3. Band 3 is a ubiquitous protein. It is present in cell, nuclear, Golgi, and mitochondrial membranes. Band 3 is the most heavily used anion exchanger in the human body because of its crucial role in respiration and acid-base balance. Senescent cell antigen has been localized to band 3 residues 538-554 and 812-827, using competitive inhibition studies with synthetic peptides of band 3 to absorb the IgG isolated from senescent erythrocytes and immunoblotting studies. In mammalian brain, band 3 performs the same functions as that of erythroid band 3. These functions are anion transport, ankyrin binding, and generation of senescent cell antigen, an aging antigen that terminates the life of cells. Our results suggest that the transport domain of erythroid and neural band 3 are similar functionally and structural. This supports the hypothesis that the immunological mechanism of maintaining homeostasis is a general physiologic process for removing senescent and damaged cells in mammals and other vertebrates.
Publication Types:
PMID: 2055499 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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The effects of ambient temperature on life span, lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, and phospholipase A2 activity in Drosophila melanogaster.
Sestini EA, Carlson JC, Allsopp R.
Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Aging changes were examined in Drosophila melanogaster. Lifespan was determined in two strains of male and female Drosophila raised at 19 degrees, 24 degrees, and 29 degrees C. The results show an inverse relationship between lifespan and temperature. In addition, lipid peroxidation rates and superoxide dismutase activity were measured in homogenates and phospholipase A2 activity was determined in crude membrane samples prepared from this species. Temperature was found to be directly correlated with the rate of lipid peroxidation in each group. The longest-lived group, wild-type females, exhibited the lowest rate of lipid peroxidation at each temperature; whereas the shortest-lived group, vestigial wing males, displayed the highest rates of lipid peroxidation. Older (40-53 day) vestigial wing males also exhibited significantly higher superoxide dismutase activity than younger vestigial wing males (0-5 day) and higher phospholipase A2 activity than wild-type females of the same age. These results indicate that there is an association between lipid peroxidation rates and lifespan in Drosophila, and that aging changes may include an increase in superoxide dismutase and phospholipase A2 activity. These findings agree with the hypothesis that free radicals are involved in the aging process in Drosophila.
PMID: 1936197 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Habituation of the proboscis extension response as a function of age in Drosophila melanogaster.
Fois C, Medioni J, Le Bourg E.
Universite Paul-Sabatier, URA CNRS 664, Toulouse, France.
Habituation of the proboscis extension response induced by sugar tarsal stimulation was individually studied in males of Drosophila melanogaster all along the adult life span (2-71 days of age at 25 degrees C). A polynomial regression fits the best the results: the speed of acquisition of this kind of learning decreases between the ages of 3 and 35 days, a plateau being observed in flies older than 35 days. Similar results have been previously obtained using associative learning tasks of increasing complexity. These effects of age could be due to a memory impairment, but also to deficits in the process of central inhibition of irrelevant motor responses.
PMID: 1916308 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Dolichol levels during development and ageing of Drosophila melanogaster.
Morris GN, Pullarkat RK.
New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY 10314.
1. Dolichol levels in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster were determined at the larva and pupa stages and in 1, 10, 20 and 30-day-old flies. 2. Free dolichol increased from 1.2 micrograms/g wet weight in the larvae to 14.9 micrograms/g in 30-day-old flies, while total dolichol increased from 3.4 micrograms/g in the larvae to 21.2 micrograms/g at 30-days-old. 3. Dolichol released after saponification is primarily from dolichyl fatty acid ester, which accounts for up to 65% of the total dolichol. 4. The major dolichol homologs, which remain relatively constant throughout development and ageing in D. melanogaster, are C-80, C-85 and C-90, which represent approximately 7%, 60% and 33%, respectively.
PMID: 1908365 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Developmental visual plasticity in Drosophila.
Hirsch HV, Potter D, Zawierucha D, Choudhri T, Glasser A, Byers D.
Neurobiology Research Center, State University of New York, Albany 12222.
PMID: 1883145 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Elevated paraquat resistance can be used as a bioassay for longevity in a genetically based long-lived strain of Drosophila.
Arking R, Buck S, Berrios A, Dwyer S, Baker GT 3rd.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202.
A long-lived (L) strain of Drosophila melanogaster, derived from a normal-lived (R) strain by artificial selection, has a significantly different adult longevity. Previous work has shown that 1) the two strains age in the same manner, 2) the major genes responsible for much of the L strain's extended longevity are located on the 3rd chromosome, and 3) the extended longevity phenotype is significantly modulated by the larval environment. In this report, we investigate the resistance of the L and R strains to the lethal effects of dietary paraquat. We show that, within the limitations of our described chromosomal and environmental manipulations, the extended longevity phenotype always accompanies the phenotype of elevated paraquat resistance. In addition, reversed selection applied to the L strain results in the simultaneous decrease of both life span and paraquat resistance. Thus, the presence or absence of the latter phenotype may be used as a bioassay for the presence or absence of the extended longevity phenotype, without any necessary implication of causality. Use of this bioassay should greatly speed up the genetic analysis of this system by allowing us to identify long-lived animals at a young age. Finally, we show that the age-related loss of elevated paraquat resistance in both strains precedes all the other age-related functional decrements which we have previously noted in this system.
PMID: 1806332 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Uric acid content of Drosophila decreases with aging.
Massie HR, Shumway ME, Whitney SJ.
Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Utica, New York 13501.
Free uric acid concentrations declined with aging in male Oregon R Drosophila melanogaster by 59% or more between 0 and 50 days of adult age. Free xanthine concentrations increased between 0 and 5 days of age and declined by 75% between 5 and 50 days of age. Xanthine oxidase activity was maximal for newly emerged flies and then declined rapidly reaching a minimum at 9 days of age. After 9 days of age xanthine concentrations may be the limiting factor for the production of uric acid by xanthine oxidase in aging fruit flies. Declining uric acid concentrations may represent a loss of antioxidant potential in aging Drosophila.
PMID: 1800135 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Trypanosoma vivax in Glossina palpalis gambiensis do not appear to affect feeding behaviour, longevity or reproductive performance of the vector.
Makumi JN, Moloo SK.
International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD), Nairobi, Kenya.
Feeding behaviour of Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank infected with Trypanosoma vivax Ziemann was studied and compared with that of uninfected control tsetse. The parameters measured were: total number of probes into the ear-skin of rabbits; rate of bloodmeal engorgement; weight of freshly ingested blood; survival; and mean weight of pupae. The results showed that the rosettes of T.vivax parasites in the labrum did not interfere with the feeding behaviour of the vectors. Furthermore, mean survival of T. vivax-infected males was significantly higher (82.2 +/- 4.2 days) compared with that of uninfected ones (70.5 +/- 3.1 days). However, with the female tsetse, mean survival of those infected was lower (98.8 +/- 4.0 days) compared to the uninfected controls (102.2 +/- 5.6 days), but the difference was not significant. A few infected males and females lived a little longer than the uninfected ones. Fecundity of the female tsetse remained unaffected by the infection, and furthermore the mean weight of pupae from the infected females was not significantly different from that of pupae from the uninfected control group. Thus the physiology of pregnant female tsetse in terms of nourishment of intra-uterine larva was unaffected by T.vivax infection. Two successive probes into the skin of two different goats followed by feeding on a third goat by each of four infected tsetse resulted in successful transmission of the infection to eleven out of twelve goats. Thus probing alone into the skin of this host can result in the transmission of T.vivax infection.
PMID: 1768899 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Ascorbic acid in Drosophila and changes during aging.
Massie HR, Shumway ME, Whitney SJ, Sternick SM, Aiello VR.
Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Utica, New York 13501.
The ascorbic acid content of Drosophila melanogaster was found to be high in the absence of a dietary source. The amount of ascorbic acid per fly declined with aging in both the Oregon R and Swedish C strains. The median life span at 25 degrees C was 45 days for Swedish C and 59 days for Oregon R. The amount of ascorbic acid in Swedish C flies (0.078 micrograms/fly) was higher than that for Oregon R (0.058 micrograms/fly) for newly emerged flies but the rate of decline with aging was greater for Swedish C than Oregon R. The decline in ascorbic acid content with aging was 70.4% for Swedish C versus 19.9% for Oregon R. A brief cold shock was found to significantly increase the amount of ascorbic acid in Oregon R flies. Feeding the precursor of ascorbic acid synthesis, L-gulonolactone, did not improve the life span. Life-time feeding of ascorbic acid did not improve the life span of either Swedish C or Oregon R flies.
PMID: 1756780 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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National Institute on Aging, NIH, Workshop on Alternative Animal Models for Research on Aging.
The characteristics of various animal models and their relevance for aging studies have been briefly discussed above. These are summarized in tabular form in Tables 1A-1F. The appropriate choice of a model for studying aging depends on a multitude of factors, but the most important characteristics appear to be relevance to human aging, manipulability of the genetic system, availability of physiological characterization data, and ease and cost of husbandry. Whereas most of the organisms discussed here do not satisfy all these criteria, they do offer some special opportunities, for example the ability to study calcium metabolism in female birds; to manipulate the rate of aging in lizards; and to study the genetics of life span in insects (e.g., Drosophila) and/or nematodes. We hope that the information collected here will prove useful to gerontologists with special interests related to human aging, and readers are encouraged to contact the various participants of this workshop for additional information.
Publication Types:
PMID: 1756775 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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The use of heat-shock-induced ectopic expression to examine the functions of genes regulating development.
Gibson G.
Department of Developmental Biology, Beckman Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94305.
Publication Types:
PMID: 1687083 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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