1
|
Grote M, Gorb SN, Büscher TH. The effect of age on the attachment ability of stick insects (Phasmatodea). BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 15:867-883. [PMID: 39076693 PMCID: PMC11285055 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.15.72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Many insect species have found their way into ageing research as small and easy-to-keep model organisms. A major sign of ageing is the loss of locomotory functions due to neuronal disorders or tissue wear. Soft and pliable attachment pads on the tarsi of insects adapt to the substrate texture to maximize their real contact area and, thereby, generate attachment during locomotion. In the majority of stick insects, adhesive microstructures covering those pads support attachment. Stick insects do not molt again after reaching the imaginal stage; hence, the cuticle of their pads is subject to continuous ageing. This study aims to quantify how attachment ability changes with age in the stick insect Sungaya aeta Hennemann, 2023 and elucidate the age effects on the material and microstructure of the attachment apparatus. Attachment performance (adhesion and friction forces) on substrates with different roughnesses was compared between two different age groups, and the change of attachment performance was monitored extending over a larger time frame. Ageing effects on the morphology of the attachment pads and the autofluorescence of the cuticle were documented using light, scanning electron, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results show that both adhesion and friction forces decline with age. Deflation of the pads, scarring of the cuticle, and alteration of the autofluorescence, likely indicating stiffening of the cuticle, were observed to accumulate over time. This would reduce the attachment ability of the insect, as pads lose their pliant properties and cannot properly maintain sufficient contact area with the substrate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Grote
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav N Gorb
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Thies H Büscher
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Huang X, Li Q, Xu Y, Li A, Wang S, Chen Y, Zhang C, Zhang X, Wang H, Lv C, Sun B, Li S, Kang L, Chen B. A neural m 6A pathway regulates behavioral aggregation in migratory locusts. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1242-1254. [PMID: 38478296 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2476-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A), as the most abundant modification of messenger RNA, can modulate insect behaviors, but its specific roles in aggregation behaviors remain unexplored. Here, we conducted a comprehensive molecular and physiological characterization of the individual components of the methyltransferase and demethylase in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. Our results demonstrated that METTL3, METTL14 and ALKBH5 were dominantly expressed in the brain and exhibited remarkable responses to crowding or isolation. The individual knockdown of methyltransferases (i.e., METTL3 and METTL14) promoted locust movement and conspecific attraction, whereas ALKBH5 knockdown induced a behavioral shift toward the solitary phase. Furthermore, global transcriptome profiles revealed that m6A modification could regulate the orchestration of gene expression to fine tune the behavioral aggregation of locusts. In summary, our in vivo characterization of the m6A functions in migratory locusts clearly demonstrated the crucial roles of the m6A pathway in effectively modulating aggregation behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xianliang Huang
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Qing Li
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yanan Xu
- Institute of Health Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Ang Li
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Shanzheng Wang
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yusheng Chen
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Chunrui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Hailin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Cong Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Baofa Sun
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Shaoqin Li
- College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Le Kang
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Bing Chen
- School of Life Science, Institutes of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dos Santos E, Cochemé HM. How does a fly die? Insights into ageing from the pathophysiology of Drosophila mortality. GeroScience 2024:10.1007/s11357-024-01158-4. [PMID: 38642259 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01158-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a common animal model in ageing research. Large populations of flies are used to study the impact of genetic, nutritional and pharmacological interventions on survival. However, the processes through which flies die and their relative prevalence in Drosophila populations are still comparatively unknown. Understanding the causes of death in an animal model is essential to dissect the lifespan-extending interventions that are organism- or disease-specific from those broadly applicable to ageing. Here, we review the pathophysiological processes that can lead to fly death and discuss their relation to ageing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eliano Dos Santos
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Helena M Cochemé
- MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK.
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Privalova V, Sobczyk Ł, Szlachcic E, Labecka AM, Czarnoleski M. Heat tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster is influenced by oxygen conditions and mutations in cell size control pathways. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220490. [PMID: 38186282 PMCID: PMC10772611 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding metabolic performance limitations is key to explaining the past, present and future of life. We investigated whether heat tolerance in actively flying Drosophila melanogaster is modified by individual differences in cell size and the amount of oxygen in the environment. We used two mutants with loss-of-function mutations in cell size control associated with the target of rapamycin (TOR)/insulin pathways, showing reduced (mutant rictorΔ2) or increased (mutant Mnt1) cell size in different body tissues compared to controls. Flies were exposed to a steady increase in temperature under normoxia and hypoxia until they collapsed. The upper critical temperature decreased in response to each mutation type as well as under hypoxia. Females, which have larger cells than males, had lower heat tolerance than males. Altogether, mutations in cell cycle control pathways, differences in cell size and differences in oxygen availability affected heat tolerance, but existing theories on the roles of cell size and tissue oxygenation in metabolic performance can only partially explain our results. A better understanding of how the cellular composition of the body affects metabolism may depend on the development of research models that help separate various interfering physiological parameters from the exclusive influence of cell size. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary significance of variation in metabolic rates'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeriya Privalova
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Łukasz Sobczyk
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Ewa Szlachcic
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Maria Labecka
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Marcin Czarnoleski
- Life History Evolution Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Duarte T, Silva MDM, Michelotti P, Barbosa NBDV, Feltes BC, Dorn M, Rocha JBTD, Dalla Corte CL. The Drosophila melanogaster ACE2 ortholog genes are differently expressed in obesity/diabetes and aging models: Implications for COVID-19 pathology. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2022; 1868:166551. [PMID: 36116726 PMCID: PMC9474972 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019, binds to its ACE2 receptor for internalization in the host cells. Elderly individuals or those with subjacent disorders, such as obesity and diabetes, are more susceptible to COVID-19 severity. Additionally, several SARS-CoV-2 variants appear to enhance the Spike-ACE2 interaction, which increases transmissibility and death. Considering that the fruit fly is a robust animal model in metabolic research and has two ACE2 orthologs, Ance and Acer, in this work, we studied the effects of two hypercaloric diets (HFD and HSD) and aging on ACE2 orthologs mRNA expression levels in Drosophila melanogaster. To complement our work, we analyzed the predicted binding affinity between the Spike protein with Ance and Acer. We show for the first time that Ance and Acer genes are differentially regulated and dependent on diet and age in adult flies. At the molecular level, Ance and Acer proteins exhibit the potential to bind to the Spike protein in different regions, as shown by a molecular docking approach. Acer, in particular, interacts with the Spike protein in the same region as in humans. Overall, we suggest that the D. melanogaster is a promising animal model for translational studies on COVID-19 associated risk factors and ACE2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tâmie Duarte
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Mônica de Medeiros Silva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Paula Michelotti
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Nilda Berenice de Vargas Barbosa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Bruno César Feltes
- Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 9500 Bento Gonçalves Avenue, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil; Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 9500 Bento Gonçalves Avenue, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Márcio Dorn
- Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 9500 Bento Gonçalves Avenue, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil; Center of Biotechnology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 9500 Bento Gonçalves Avenue, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology - Forensic Science, 6681 Ipiranga Avenue, Porto Alegre, RS 90619-900, Brazil
| | - João Batista Teixeira da Rocha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Lenz Dalla Corte
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Overman KE, Choi DM, Leung K, Shaevitz JW, Berman GJ. Measuring the repertoire of age-related behavioral changes in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009867. [PMID: 35202388 PMCID: PMC8903287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging affects almost all aspects of an organism—its morphology, its physiology, its behavior. Isolating which biological mechanisms are regulating these changes, however, has proven difficult, potentially due to our inability to characterize the full repertoire of an animal’s behavior across the lifespan. Using data from fruit flies (D. melanogaster) we measure the full repertoire of behaviors as a function of age. We observe a sexually dimorphic pattern of changes in the behavioral repertoire during aging. Although the stereotypy of the behaviors and the complexity of the repertoire overall remains relatively unchanged, we find evidence that the observed alterations in behavior can be explained by changing the fly’s overall energy budget, suggesting potential connections between metabolism, aging, and behavior. Aging is a ubiquitous biological phenomenon that affects many aspects of an animal’s appearance, physiology, and behavior. Our understanding of how changes in physiology lead to behavioral changes, however, has been partially limited by our ability to robustly quantify how behavior alters over timescales of days and weeks. In this study, we measure a large repertoire of behaviors of fruit flies at various ages, finding how the actions the animals perform shift with age. We observe a difference between the aging dynamics of male and female flies, and we show that many of these changes can be explained with a model of energy consumption, leading us to make predictions as to the role of metabolism in changes in aging behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E. Overman
- Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Daniel M. Choi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Kawai Leung
- Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Joshua W. Shaevitz
- Department of Physics and Lewis-Sigler Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Gordon J. Berman
- Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Thermal and Oxygen Flight Sensitivity in Ageing Drosophila melanogaster Flies: Links to Rapamycin-Induced Cell Size Changes. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10090861. [PMID: 34571738 PMCID: PMC8464818 DOI: 10.3390/biology10090861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Cold-blooded organisms can become physiologically challenged when performing highly oxygen-demanding activities (e.g., flight) across different thermal and oxygen environmental conditions. We explored whether this challenge decreases if an organism is built of smaller cells. This is because small cells create a large cell surface, which is costly, but can ease the delivery of oxygen to cells’ power plants, called mitochondria. We developed fruit flies in either standard food or food with rapamycin (a human drug altering the cell cycle and ageing), which produced flies with either large cells (no supplementation) or small cells (rapamycin supplementation). We measured the maximum speed at which flies were flapping their wings in warm and hot conditions, combined with either normal or reduced air oxygen concentrations. Flight intensity increased with temperature, and it was reduced by poor oxygen conditions, indicating limitations of flying insects by oxygen supply. Nevertheless, flies with small cells showed lower limitations, only slowing down their wing flapping in low oxygen in the hot environment. Our study suggests that small cells in a body can help cold-blooded organisms maintain demanding activities (e.g., flight), even in poor oxygen conditions, but this advantage can depend on body temperature. Abstract Ectotherms can become physiologically challenged when performing oxygen-demanding activities (e.g., flight) across differing environmental conditions, specifically temperature and oxygen levels. Achieving a balance between oxygen supply and demand can also depend on the cellular composition of organs, which either evolves or changes plastically in nature; however, this hypothesis has rarely been examined, especially in tracheated flying insects. The relatively large cell membrane area of small cells should increase the rates of oxygen and nutrient fluxes in cells; however, it does also increase the costs of cell membrane maintenance. To address the effects of cell size on flying insects, we measured the wing-beat frequency in two cell-size phenotypes of Drosophila melanogaster when flies were exposed to two temperatures (warm/hot) combined with two oxygen conditions (normoxia/hypoxia). The cell-size phenotypes were induced by rearing 15 isolines on either standard food (large cells) or rapamycin-enriched food (small cells). Rapamycin supplementation (downregulation of TOR activity) produced smaller flies with smaller wing epidermal cells. Flies generally flapped their wings at a slower rate in cooler (warm treatment) and less-oxygenated (hypoxia) conditions, but the small-cell-phenotype flies were less prone to oxygen limitation than the large-cell-phenotype flies and did not respond to the different oxygen conditions under the warm treatment. We suggest that ectotherms with small-cell life strategies can maintain physiologically demanding activities (e.g., flight) when challenged by oxygen-poor conditions, but this advantage may depend on the correspondence among body temperatures, acclimation temperatures and physiological thermal limits.
Collapse
|