Background: Consumption and abuse of alcohol remains a significant cause of concern worldwide. Furthermore, there is evidence of the association between chronic alcohol use and reduced life expectancy. Objectives: To study the effects of Garcinia binucao extract (GBE) supplementation on lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster, in the presence or absence of chronic alcohol exposure. Methods: D. melanogaster was mass cultured and given GBE supplementation in high (1 mg/mL) and low (200 µg/mL) sublethal doses. D. melanogaster flies were divided into groups - with and without chronic alcohol exposure, and their respective lifespans were monitored. Results: In D. melanogaster without alcohol exposure, mean lifespan was highest in the control flies (38.15 days), followed by high-dose GBE (34.42 days), low-dose GBE (33.24 days), and DMSO (22.29 days). In D. melanogaster chronically exposed to alcohol, the longest mean lifespan was observed in flies treated with high-dose GBE (33.80 days), followed by low-dose GBE (33.63 days), the DMSO group (30.30), and the control group (29.65 days), but the differences were not statistically significant. Comparing groups with and without chronic alcohol exposure, the mean lifespan of the control group chronically exposed to alcohol significantly decreased by 9.51 days (p < 0.05). In GBE treatment groups, mean lifespan significantly decreased by 0.82 days in high-dose set-up (p < 0.05), and significantly increased by 0.39 days in the low-dose set-up (p < 0.05) upon chronic alcohol exposure. Conclusion Garcinia binucao extract supplementation ameliorated the observed reduction in lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster chronically exposed to alcohol.
Drosophila melanogaster ; Longevity

The sense of mechanical stimuli (e.g. force or deformation) in the environment underlies several important physiological processes, for example the perception of sound, touch, pain and acceleration. The key step in mechanosensation is to convert the extracellular mechanical stimuli into cellular electrical or chemical signals. This process is termed as mechanotransduction. Based on mechanical and electrophysiological measurements, "Gating-Spring" theory was proposed as a general model to describe the cell biological mechanism of mechanotransduction. However, despite efforts made in several model organisms, the molecular basis of the "Gating-Spring" model remains elusive. In recent years, several key progresses have been made using the mechanoreceptors of Drosophila melanogaster as the models. This article introduces the "Gating-Spring" theory and reviews the recent research progresses on the fly mechanotransduction.
Animals ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Mechanoreceptors ; Mechanotransduction, Cellular

Paf1 complex was identified in yeast and characterized to function in transcription and its related events. We identified the Drosophila homological components of paf1, CDC73 and RTF1 of paf1 complex. The genes encoding Drosophila paf1, CDC73 and RTF1 were cloned and expressed. With the purified recombinant proteins of truncated components of paf1 complex, antibodies against the Drosophila paf1, CDC73 and RTF1 were generated. These antibodies have been shown to be able to detect the endogenous paf1 subunits as well as their human counterparts in the HeLa extract. On Drosophila polytene chromosomes, these antibodies have been demonstrated to locate the paf1 complex at actively transcribing sites, which co-localized with phosphorylated RNA polymerase II, indicating that paf1 complex in Drosophila is involved in transcription or the events coupling with transcription.
Animals ; Antibodies ; chemistry ; Drosophila Proteins ; immunology ; Drosophila melanogaster

Stroke is a leading cause of death worldwide. Up to one thousand potential drugs or interventions have been developed to treat stroke, out of which ~160 have gone on to clinical trials. However, none of them has been successful. New insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms of ischemia-induced injury are needed for discovering new therapeutic targets. Recently, Drosophila has been used to uncover new hypoxia-related genes. In this study, we describe an efficient and reliable assay with a sophisticated apparatus for studying the effects of oxygen deprivation on flies. Using this assay, wild-type flies were exposed to an anoxic environment for varying lengths of time, then the cumulative death rate and mobility recovery were systematically analyzed. We found that anoxia for over one hour caused lethality. The cumulative death rate on day 5 after anoxia was linearly and positively correlated with the duration of anoxia, and reached 50% when the duration was 2.5 h-3 h. We also found that the mobility recovery in normoxia was slow, as the climbing ability remained largely unchanged 4 h-6 h after 2.5-h of anoxia. We suggest that 2.5 h-3 h of anoxia and 4 h-6 h of recovery before mobility analysis are appropriate for future use of the anoxia assay.
Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Hypoxia

Introduction: Folkloric claims have surrounded essential oils, including their enhancement of learning and memory through inhalational exposure. Few studies in humans have shown a benefit in cognition, albeit incremental. However, this benefit may not be entirely attributable to the essential oil aroma but may be confounded by psychological associations. We investigated rosemary, peppermint, lemon, and coffee aromas in a learning and memory model of Drosophila melanogaster to eliminate this confounder. Methods: We screened for concentrations of the four treatments that are non-stimulatory for altered locomotory behavior in the flies. At these concentrations, we determined if they were chemoneutral (i.e., neither chemoattractant nor chemorepellent) to the flies. Learning and memory of the flies exposed to these aromas were determined using an Aversive Phototaxis Suppression (APS) assay. Results: The aromas of rosemary, peppermint, and lemon that did not elicit altered mobility in the flies were from dilute essential oil solutions that ranged from 0.2 to 0.5% v/v; whereas for the aroma in coffee, it was at a higher concentration of 7.5% m/v. At these concentrations, the aromas used were found to be chemoneutral towards the flies. We observed no improvement in both learning and memory in the four aromas tested. While a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in learning was observed when flies were treated with the aromas of rosemary, peppermint, and coffee, a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in memory was only observed in the peppermint aroma treatment. Conclusion This study demonstrated that in the absence of psychological association, the four aromas do not enhance learning and memory
Drosophila melanogaster ; Learning ; Memory ; Rosmarinus ; Mentha piperita ; Citrus ; Coffea

OBJECTIVES: Although ionizing radiation is recognized as being harmful to humans, debate continues regarding the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation. Some studies have reported that low doses of ionizing radiation have a bio-positive effect, namely hormesis, and many researchers have attempted to find concrete and scientific evidence to prove this. To determine whether the discrepancy in effects of low doses of ionizing radiation arises from genetic differences, a study with a multicellular organism system such as fruit flies is needed. METHODS: After irradiation at a low-dose rate of gamma radiation with chronic (0.2 Gy) and acute (0.2, 0.75 and 4 Gy), the pupa rate, eclosion rate and life span were examined with various wild type strains of Drosophila melanogaster such as W1118, Oregon-R, and Canton-S. RESULTS: The life span of Oregon-R exposed to both acute and chronic, low-dose radiation (0.2 Gy) was increased. Although there was some difference in the longevity between the acute and chronic radiation rate, no other differences were found. In Canton-S, only acute dose (0.75 Gy) increased the life span, but it did not in W1118. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were some differences between wild type fruit fly strains in longevity, the low doses of ionizing radiation extended the life span of D. melanogaster. Further studies need to be carried out to explain the difference according to dose and dose rate of radiation in the tested strains.
Diptera ; Drosophila ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Fruit ; Gamma Rays ; Hormesis ; Humans ; Longevity ; Pupa ; Radiation, Ionizing

Aging is the single most important risk factor that increases susceptibility to many forms of diseases. As such, much effort has been put forward to elucidate the mechanisms behind the processes of aging and to discover novel compounds that retain antiaging activities. Korean red ginseng has been used for a variety of medical purposes in eastern countries for several thousands of years. It has been shown that Korean red ginseng affects a number of biological activities including, but not limited to, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-diabetic pathways. However, few studies have been performed to evaluate its anti-aging effects with an in vivo system. Here Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo model organism demonstrates that Korean red ginseng tonic extends lifespan, increases resistance to starvation stress and prevents weight gain. This data suggest that Korean red ginseng may regulate organisms' metabolism in favor of extending lifespan.
Aging ; Drosophila ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Metabolism ; Models, Animal ; Panax* ; Risk Factors ; Starvation ; Weight Gain

The effect of DMSO and sodium butyrate on the production of recombinant hepatitis A virus (HAV) capsid protein VP1 was evaluated and optimized in the culture of stably transfected Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells using culture plates and spinner flasks. The effect of DMSO and sodium butyrate was also evaluated to improve the recombinant VP1 production in stably transfected Drosophila S2 cells. A production level of 0.88 mg of recombinant VP1/liter was obtained in the culture-plate culture of stably transfected S2 cells at 6 days after induction with 0.5 mM CuSO4. The supplements of 2% DMSO and 10 mM sodium butyrate at 4 days post-inoculation increased recombinant VP1 accumulation by 141 and 104%, respectively, resulting in 2.17 and 1.7 mg/liter of recombinant VP1 production. In spinner flasks, recombinant VP1 production reached maximum level at 9 days after induction with 0.5 mM CuSO4, with approximately 4.96 mg/liter of recombinant VP1 production level. When 2% DMSO or 10 mM sodium butyrate was added at 5 days post-inoculation, the recombinant VP1 production was increased to 8.35 and 5.85 mg/liter, respectively. However, the synergistic effects of DMSO and sodium butyrate were not observed. These results indicate that DMSO and/or sodium butyrate can be successfully used to improve the recombinant HAV VP1 production in culture plates and spinner flasks.
Butyrates ; Capsid Proteins ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Drosophila ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Efficiency ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A virus ; Sodium

Animals ; Drosophila Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Memory ; physiology ; Mushroom Bodies ; cytology ; metabolism ; Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Females increase aggression for mating opportunities and for acquiring reproductive resources. Although the close relationship between female aggression and mating status is widely appreciated, whether and how female aggression is regulated by mating-related cues remains poorly understood. Here we report an interesting observation that Drosophila virgin females initiate high-frequency attacks toward mated females. We identify 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a male-derived pheromone transferred to females during mating, which promotes virgin female aggression. We subsequently reveal a cVA-responsive neural circuit consisting of four orders of neurons, including Or67d, DA1, aSP-g, and pC1 neurons, that mediate cVA-induced virgin female aggression. We also determine that aSP-g neurons release acetylcholine (ACh) to excite pC1 neurons via the nicotinic ACh receptor nAChRα7. Together, beyond revealing cVA as a mating-related inducer of virgin female aggression, our results identify a neural circuit linking the chemosensory perception of mating-related cues to aggressive behavior in Drosophila females.
Animals ; Male ; Female ; Drosophila/physiology* ; Drosophila Proteins/physiology* ; Cues ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology* ; Aggression/physiology* ; Drosophila melanogaster/physiology*