Abstract
Lifespan is modulated at distinct levels by multiple factors, including genetic backgrounds, the environment, behavior traits, metabolic status, and more interestingly, sensory perceptions. However, the effects of social perception between individuals living in the same space remain less clear. Here, we used the Drosophila model to study the influences of social perception on the lifespan of aged fruit flies. We found the lifespan of aged Drosophila is markedly prolonged after being co-housed with young adults of the same gender. Moreover, the changes of lifespan were affected by several experimental contexts: (1) the ratios of aged and young adults co-housed, (2) the chronological ages of two populations, and (3) the integrity of sensory modalities. Together, we hypothesize the chemical/physical stimuli derived from the interacting young adults are capable of interfering with the physiology and behavior of aged flies, ultimately leading to the alteration of lifespan.
Highlights
Lifespan is modulated by diverse factors that mostly act through the alteration of internal physiology and the initiation of behaviors that respond to the external environment[1,2,3,4]
The life expectancy of aged flies is differentially affected by the social surroundings To explore whether the presence of young individuals in the same living environment could affect the lifespan of aged individuals, we used Drosophila melanogaster as a model system to create such scenery
A previous study has demonstrated social interactions with co-housed young flies are able to improve the physiological defects, such as the reduction in lifespan, stress resistance, and motor activity, displayed in the SOD mutant flies[41]. Another interesting study indicates the heterogeneity of the social environment mediates the cancer progression in the Drosophila model[42,43]. Consistent with their discoveries, the lifespan of fruit flies living in the same space was affected by the compositions of aged and young adults (Fig. 1)
Summary
Lifespan is modulated by diverse factors that mostly act through the alteration of internal physiology and the initiation of behaviors that respond to the external environment[1,2,3,4]. Recent studies have demonstrated manipulations in the sensory systems, which provide organisms with the ability to perceive and interact with the internal and external environments, are capable of altering organism lifespan, highlighting the potential linkages between sensory perception and aging processes[5,6]. Such an example includes the loss of olfaction, which is the sense of smell that allows organisms to perceive the chemical landscapes of the external environment, significantly influences the lifespan of model organisms, such as worms and fruit flies[7,8]. The perception of both external and internal states usually involves multiple sensory-related cells/
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