Molecular Mechanisms of Lifespan Regulation / Development of Type 2 diabetes in Drosophila melanogaster
A major research focus of the lab is the molecular dissection of signaling pathways that regulate longevity. We have recently shown that downregulation of the activity of the Drosophila melanogaster ortholog of the tumor suppressor p53, Dmp53, significantly extends fly longevity. Reduction of p53 activity was achieved by expressing dominant-negative (DN) versions of Dmp53 in the adult fly only. Expressing DN-Dmp53 in the adult nervous system, but not in other fly tissues, extended fly longevity by up to 26%. Furthermore, when DN-Dmp53 expression is restricted to a set of fourteen insulin-producing neurons (IPC), the same life span extension is observed.