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A glucose-supplemented diet enhances gut barrier integrity in Drosophila

Anthony Galenza, Edan Foley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6   Link opens in a new tab Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Dietary intervention has received considerable attention as an approach to extend lifespan and improve aging. However, questions remain regarding optimal dietary regimes and underlying mechanisms of lifespan extension. Here, we asked how an increase of glucose in a chemically defined diet extends the lifespan of adult Drosophilamelanogaster. We showed that glucose-dependent lifespan extension is not a result of diminished caloric intake, or changes to systemic insulin activity, two commonly studied mechanisms of lifespan extension. Instead, we found that flies raised on glucose-supplemented food increased the expression of cell-adhesion genes, delaying age-dependent loss of intestinal barrier integrity. Furthermore, we showed that chemical disruption of the gut barrier negated the lifespan extension associated with glucose treatment, suggesting that glucose-supplemented food prolongs adult viability by enhancing the intestinal barrier. We believe our data contribute to understanding intestinal homeostasis, and may assist efforts to develop preventative measures that limit effects of aging on health.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberbio056515
Number of pages13
JournalBiology Open
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Mar 2021

Data Availability Statement

RNA-sequencing data have been submitted to the NCBI GEO database
(GSE147222).

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Kin Chan at the Network Biology Collaborative Centre
(nbcc.lunenfeld.ca) for the RNA-Seq service. We are grateful to Dr Seung K. Kim for
providing ilp21 gd2HF and Df(3L)Ilp2-3,Ilp53 fly stocks, and sharing protocols and
reagents for Ilp measurement, and to Dr Pavel M. Itskov and Dr Carlos Ribeiro for
assistance with the flyPAD. We are grateful to Dr Andrew Simmonds for assistance
in preparation of the holidic medium.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to E.F. [PJT 159604] and A.G. was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council scholarship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Keywords

  • Aging
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Glucose
  • Longevity
  • Tight Junctions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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