Overexpression of antimicrobial peptides contributes to aging through cytotoxic effects in Drosophila tissues.

ABSTRACT: The innate immune response tends to become hyperactive and proinflammatory in older organisms. We investigated connections between activity of the immune-related genes and aging using the Drosophila model. A hallmark of Drosophila immunity is the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMP), whose expression is triggered via activation of the Toll and Imd immune pathways and regulated by NF-ĸB-like transcription factors, Dif/Dorsal and Relish. It was previously shown that overexpression of the upstream component of the immune pathways shortens lifespan via activation of the Relish-dependent immune response. Here we show that direct overexpression of the Relish target AMP genes broadly at high levels or in the fat body induced apoptosis, elicited depolarization of the mitochondria and signifi

SUBMITTER: Badinloo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6039247 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature