Positive and negative gustatory inputs affect Drosophila lifespan partly in parallel to dFOXO signaling

Significance The ability of the wormCaenorhabditis elegans to taste or smell can influence its lifespan, and the effect of odors on lifespan has also been shown to exist in the fruit flyDrosophila . Now we provide evidence that fly lifespan is also affected by its ability to taste: some taste inputs shorten lifespan, whereas others increase it. In flies, the lifespan-shortening taste inputs act via an insulin-like signaling pathway and its downstream transcription factor dFOXO, whereas the lifespan-lengthening taste inputs can act independently of this pathway. The taste influence on lifespan is also unlikely linked to changes in food intake levels. Thus, different taste inputs will affect lifespan through more than one mechanism.