Microgravity effects on Drosophila melanogaster behavior and aging. Implications of the IML-2 experiment

Earlier Space experiments had indicated that young male Drosophila flies exposed to microgravity showed an acceleration in aging. In a 14.5-day Space Shuttle Flight we sent 300 young male flies with the purpose of confirming these findings and to establish whether changes in the behavior of the flie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biotechnology 1996-06, Vol.47 (2), p.191-201
Main Authors: Benguría, Alberto, Grande, Enrique, De Juan, Emilio, Ugalde, Cristina, Miquel, Jaime, Garesse, Rafael, Marco, Roberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
accelerated aging
Aging
animal behavior
Animals
Behavior
Behavior, Animal
Biotechnology
Centrifugation
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster - physiology
Female
females
international microgravity laboratory
laboratories
locomotion
Longevity
Male
males
mating behavior
Microgravity
mitochondria
Motility
Motor Activity
movement
Research Design
ribosomal RNA
RNA - metabolism
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - metabolism
sexual reproduction
Space
Space Flight
Space life sciences
Time Factors
Weightlessness - adverse effects
zero gravity
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Summary:Earlier Space experiments had indicated that young male Drosophila flies exposed to microgravity showed an acceleration in aging. In a 14.5-day Space Shuttle Flight we sent 300 young male flies with the purpose of confirming these findings and to establish whether changes in the behavior of the flies were responsible for the effect in accordance with the proposal that alterations in mitochondrial metabolism may be involved in the aging response. By repeatedly video-recording, we have found a very marked increase in the locomotor activity of the fruitflies in Space. The males showed an accelerated aging response upon recovery, both in terms of physiological vitality assays (mating and negative geotaxis) and of life-span curves. The involvement of mitochondrial metabolism is also suggested by the finding of a greater decrease in mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA in the microgravity exposed flies than in ground controls. On the other hand, a parallel 1 × g centrifuge control did not show such differences in the life-span curves when compared to flies exposed to a similar centrifugation on the ground. Drosophila females also increased their locomotor activity but did not show differential changes in the life-span curves. These results are discussed in terms of the current mechanisms of aging in multicellular eukaryotic organisms.
ISSN:0168-1656
1873-4863
DOI:10.1016/0168-1656(96)01407-1