Open AccessMicro RNA s mir‐184 and let‐7 alter Drosophila metabolism and longevity
Author(s) -
Gendron Christi M.,
Pletcher Scott D.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
aging cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1474-9726
pISSN - 1474-9718
DOI - 10.1111/acel.12673
Subject(s) - biology , longevity , microrna , drosophila melanogaster , drosophila (subgenus) , rna , gene , transcriptome , rna interference , metabolism , genetics , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , small rna , physiology , endocrinology
Summary Micro RNA s (mi RNA s) are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression associated with many complex biological processes. By comparing mi RNA expression between long‐lived cohorts of Drosophila melanogaster that were fed a low‐nutrient diet with normal‐lived control animals fed a high‐nutrient diet, we identified miR‐184 , let‐7 , miR‐125 , and miR‐100 as candidate mi RNA s involved in modulating aging. We found that ubiquitous, adult‐specific overexpression of these individual mi RNA s led to significant changes in fat metabolism and/or lifespan. Most impressively, adult‐specific overexpression of let‐7 in female nervous tissue increased median fly lifespan by ~22%. We provide evidence that this lifespan extension is not due to alterations in nutrient intake or to decreased insulin signaling.