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. 2010 Dec 15;49(12):2028-31.
doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.09.029. Epub 2010 Oct 19.

Expression of multiple copies of mitochondrially targeted catalase or genomic Mn superoxide dismutase transgenes does not extend the life span of Drosophila melanogaster

Robin J Mockett  1 , Barbara H Sohal, Rajindar S Sohal
Affiliations

Expression of multiple copies of mitochondrially targeted catalase or genomic Mn superoxide dismutase transgenes does not extend the life span of Drosophila melanogaster

Robin J Mockett et al. Free Radic Biol Med. .

Abstract

The simultaneous overexpression of multiple copies of Mn superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ectopic catalase (mtCat) transgenes in the mitochondria of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, was shown previously to diminish the life span. The hypothesis tested in this study was that this effect was due primarily to the presence of one or the other transgene. An alternative hypothesis was that both transgenes have additive, negative effects. Crosses were performed between five pairs of transgenic lines containing single-copy insertions of mtCat, Mn SOD, or P element vector control transgenes at unique loci, and the life spans of progeny containing two mtCat, Mn SOD, or vector insertions were determined. Increasing amounts of mitochondrial catalase activity tended to be associated with decreases in mean life span. Overexpression of two copies of the genomic Mn SOD transgene had no effect on life span. The results do not support the hypothesis that enhanced mitochondrial SOD or catalase activity promotes longevity in flies.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Activities of Mn SOD (A) and mitochondrial catalase (B). Numbers in parentheses denote unique insertion sites of an Mn SOD, mtCat or vector control (+) transgene. Results are mean ± S.D. of 3–4 measurements.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Life spans of flies overexpressing Mn SOD or ectopic, mitochondrial catalase. Survivorship curves of experimental and control flies were obtained at 25°C in two independent experiments (A, B). Pooled results are shown in each panel for ~125 male flies per transgene combination for five combinations per genotype. Mean life spans of flies containing each combination of transgenes are shown in Table 1.
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