Stochasticity explains non-genetic inheritance of lifespan and apparent trade-offs between reproduction and ageing

Drake, Elizabeth D.; Simons, Mirre J. P.

doi:10.1101/2023.03.06.531380

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…First we wanted to confirm that we used a strain responsive to DR at the lab standard 25°C. In a strain (ywR) we have used extensively before (Drake & Simons, 2023; Gautrey & Simons, 2022) we found a significant DR longevity response in three other separate (before unpublished) experiments we previously conducted (P < 0.0001; Table 1). These experiments compared 2% yeast (our standard DR diet) to 8% yeast (the standard ad libitum diet used by our lab) (McCracken, Buckle, et al, 2020) (Figure 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Dietary restriction extends lifespan across different temperatures in the fly

Phillips,

Simons

2023

Preprint

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Dietary restriction (DR) has been consistently shown to extend lifespan across a range of taxa. However, it has recently been reported that DR does not extend lifespan at certain, namely lower, temperatures in flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Similar to the interpretation of other findings that appear to question DR's universality, this finding has been interpreted as being an artefact of benign laboratory conditions. Here we re-test this hypothesis, now using a strain that shows robust lifespan extension at 25C (across three prior experiments), and using a range of 5 diets across two temperatures, 18C and 21C. We found the DR longevity response to be robust, extending lifespan irrespective of temperature. We measured fecundity as a positive control for the DR phenotype, and found, as predicted, that DR reduces egg laying. It will be important for results that question DR as a phenotype to not be overinterpreted readily, as with a substantially larger sample size and a larger range of diets we were unable to replicate this prior work. Differences in experimental setup, genetic lines used and variation in the diet-lifespan reaction norm we suggest are responsible for this discrepancy. In addition, starting with a strain and conditions that show a lifespan extension by DR, as we do here, and then changing environment and/or genotype promises a more robust test of DR modulating factors.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Dietary restriction extends lifespan across different temperatures in the fly

Phillips,

Simons

2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…First we wanted to confirm that we used a strain responsive to DR at the lab standard 25°C. In a strain (ywR), we have used extensively before (Drake & Simons, 2023;Gautrey & Simons, 2022) we found a significant DR longevity response in three other separate (before unpublished) experiments we previously conducted (p < 0.0001; Table 2). These experiments compared 2% yeast (our standard DR diet) to 8% yeast (the standard ad libitum diet used by our lab) (McCracken, Buckle, et al, 2020) (Figure 1).…”

Section: Re Sultsmentioning

confidence: 64%

Dietary restriction extends lifespan across different temperatures in the fly

Phillips,

Simons

2024

Functional Ecology

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Dietary restriction (DR) has been consistently shown to extend lifespan across a range of taxa. However, it has recently been reported that DR does not extend lifespan at certain, namely lower, temperatures in flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Similar to the interpretation of other findings that appear to question DR's universality, this finding has been interpreted as suggesting that lifespan extension in response to DR is an artefact of benign laboratory conditions. We re‐test this hypothesis, now using a strain that shows robust lifespan extension at 25°C (across three prior experiments), and using a range of five diets across two temperatures, 18°C and 21°C. We found the DR longevity response to be robust, extending lifespan irrespective of temperature. We measured fecundity as a positive control for the DR phenotype, and found, as predicted, that DR reduces egg laying. We suggest differences in experimental setup, genetic lines used and variation in the diet‐lifespan reaction norm are responsible for this discrepancy. In addition, starting with a strain and conditions that show a lifespan extension by DR, as we do here, and then changing environment and/or genotype promises a more robust test of DR modulating factors. In conclusion, it will be important for results that question DR as a phenotype to not be overinterpreted readily, as with a substantially larger sample size and a larger range of diets we were unable to replicate this prior work. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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“…Further studies should test for a similar Lansing effect in telomere dynamics to better elucidate the intrinsic and extrinsic contributors to variation in individual quality (e.g. Drake & Simons, 2023), and how telomere dynamics is mechanistically linked to quality and reproduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adult telomere length is positively correlated with survival and lifetime reproductive success in a wild passerine

Chik,

Mannarelli,

Remedios

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Explaining variation in individual fitness is a key goal in evolutionary biology. Recently, telomeres, repeating DNA sequences capping the ends of chromosomes, have gained attention as a biomarker for body state, individual quality, and ageing. However, existing research has provided mixed evidence for whether telomere length correlates with fitness components, including survival and reproductive output. Moreover, few studies have examined how telomere shortening correlates with fitness in wild populations. Here, we intensively monitored an insular population of house sparrows on Lundy Island, UK, and collected longitudinal telomere and life history data spanning 16 years from 1,225 individuals. We tested whether telomere length and/or shortening predict fitness measures, namely survival, lifespan, as well as annual and lifetime reproductive success. Telomere length positively predicted immediate survival up to one year after measurement, independent of age, but did not predict lifespan, suggesting either a diminishing telomere length – survival correlation with age, or other extrinsic factors of mortality. The positive effect of telomere length on survival translated to reproductive benefits, as birds with longer telomeres produced more genetic recruits over their lifetime, but not annually, suggesting variation in individual quality. The rate of telomere shortening, however, correlated with neither lifespan nor lifetime reproductive success. Our results provided further evidence that telomere length correlates with fitness, and they contributed to our understanding of how telomere dynamics link with individual quality.

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Stochasticity explains non-genetic inheritance of lifespan and apparent trade-offs between reproduction and ageing

Cited by 4 publications

References 46 publications

Dietary restriction extends lifespan across different temperatures in the fly

Dietary restriction extends lifespan across different temperatures in the fly

Dietary restriction extends lifespan across different temperatures in the fly

Adult telomere length is positively correlated with survival and lifetime reproductive success in a wild passerine

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