Research Paper Volume 6, Issue 5 pp 390—398
Target of rapamycin signalling mediates the lifespan-extending effects of dietary restriction by essential amino acid alteration
- 1 Institute of Healthy Ageing, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- 2 Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, China
- 3 Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research Centre, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Received: March 13, 2014 Accepted: May 14, 2014 Published: May 19, 2014
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100665How to Cite
Abstract
Dietary restriction (DR), defined as a moderate reduction in food intake short of malnutrition, has been shown to extend healthy lifespan in a diverse range of organisms, from yeast to primates. Reduced signalling through the insulin/IGF-like (IIS) and Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signalling pathways also extend lifespan. In Drosophila melanogaster the lifespan benefits of DR can be reproduced by modulating only the essential amino acids in yeast based food. Here, we show that pharmacological downregulation of TOR signalling, but not reduced IIS, modulates the lifespan response to DR by amino acid alteration. Of the physiological responses flies exhibit upon DR, only increased body fat and decreased heat stress resistance phenotypes correlated with longevity via reduced TOR signalling. These data indicate that lowered dietary amino acids promote longevity via TOR, not by enhanced resistance to molecular damage, but through modified physiological conditions that favour fat accumulation.