Age-Dependent Immune Defense Against Beauveria bassiana in Long- and Short-Lived Drosophila Populations.

ABSTRACT: Aging in sexually reproducing organisms is shaped by the declining force of natural selection after reproduction begins. In Drosophila melanogaster, experimental evolution shows that altering the age of reproduction shifts the timing of aging. Using the Drosophila experimental evolution population (DEEP) resource, which includes long- and short- lived populations evolved under distinct reproductive schedules, we investigated how immune defense against Beauveria bassiana changes with age and evolved lifespan. We tested survival post-infection at multiple ages and examined genomic differentiation for immune-related genes. Both population types showed age-related declines in immune defense. Long-lived populations consistently exhibited age-specific defense when both long- and short-lived popu

SUBMITTER: Bagheri E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12387925 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature