Feeding Drosophila gut microbiomes from young and old flies modifies the microbiome.

ABSTRACT: It is becoming increasingly evident that the myriad of microbes in the gut, within cells and attached to body parts (or roots of plants), play crucial roles for the host. Although this has been known for decades, recent developments in molecular biology allow for expanded insight into the abundance and function of these microbes. Here we used the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate fitness measures across the lifetime of flies fed a suspension of gut microbes harvested from young or old flies, respectively. Our hypothesis was that flies constitutively enriched with a 'Young microbiome' would live longer and be more agile at old age (i.e. have increased healthspan) compared to flies enriched with an 'Old microbiome'. Three major take home messages came out of our study: (1)

SUBMITTER: Wesseltoft JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10987527 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature