Gut-to-brain regulation of Drosophila aging through neuropeptide F, insulin, and juvenile hormone

Abstract

Dietary restriction (DR) slows aging in many animals, while in some cases, the sensory signals from diet alone are sufficient to retard or accelerate lifespan. The digestive tract is a candidate location to sense nutrients, where neuropeptides secreted by enteroendocrine cells (EEC) produce systemic signals in response to food. Here, we measure how Drosophila neuropeptide F (NPF) is secreted into adult circulation by EEC and find that specific EEC differentially respond to dietary sugar and yeast. Female lifespan is increased when gut NPF is genetically depleted, and this manipulation is sufficient to blunt the longevity benefit conferred by DR. Depletion of NPF receptors at insulin-producing neurons of the brain also increases female lifespan, consistent with observations where loss of gut NPF decreases neuronal insulin secretion. The longevity conferred by repressing gut NPF and brain NPF receptors is reversed by treating adults with a juvenile hormone (JH) analog. JH is produced by the adult corpora allata, and inhibition of the insulin receptor at this tissue decreases JH titer and extends lifespan in both males and females, while this longevity is restored to wild type by treating adults with a JH analog. Overall, EEC of the gut modulate Drosophila aging through interorgan communication mediated by a gut–brain–corpora allata axis, and insulin produced in the brain impacts lifespan through its control of JH titer. These data suggest that we consider how human incretins and their analogs, which are used to treat obesity and diabetes, may impact aging.