PROTEIN-SYNTHESIS ELONGATION-FACTOR EF-1-ALPHA EXPRESSION AND LONGEVITY IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

It has been proposed that the decline in protein synthesis observed in aging organisms may result from a decrease in elongation factor EF-1 alpha. Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster flies carrying an additional copy of the EF-1 alpha gene under control of a heat-inducible promote r have an extended lifespan, further indicating that the EF-1 alpha ge ne may play an important role in determining longevity, To test this h ypothesis, we have quantitated EF-1 alpha mRNA, EF-1 alpha protein, an d the EF-1 alpha complex-formation activity in these transgenic flies. Furthermore, we have tested whether the transgene construct is functi onal-i.e., whether transgenic mRNA is induced when flies are grown at higher temperature. The results show that although there is a clear di fference in mean lifespan between the EF-1 alpha transgenic (E) flies and the control transgenic (C) flies, E flies do not express more EF-1 alpha protein or mRNA than C flies kept at the same experimental cond itions. Although the transgene can be induced when E flies are heat-sh ocked at 37 degrees C, transgenic mRNA is not detectable in E flies ag ed at 29 degrees C. In both lines, the loss in catalytic activity with age is the same. We conclude that the E flies examined here do not li ve longer because of overexpressing the EF-1 alpha gene.