REGULATION OF GENE-EXPRESSION IS PRESERVED IN AGING DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

Aging, and the deterioration of biological performance that characteri zes it, are routinely assumed to be due to a progressive global loss o f homeostasis and a general increase in dysregulation [1-4]. We tested this hypothesis directly by measuring age-specific variability in gen e expression. Analysis of the transcriptional activity of six genes in various inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster unexpectedly failed t o show an increase in variability among individuals as they age and di e. Although regulation of gene expression is a central feature of life , a global decline in the control of gene expression does not appear t o be either a cause or a consequence of the process of aging. (C) Curr ent Biology Ltd ISSN 0960-9822.