Research Paper Volume 1, Issue 1 pp 38—48

Figure 1. DN-Dmp53-dependent life span extension can be induced later in life and is reversible. Survivorship curves of female ELAV-Switch-DN-Dmp53 flies demonstrate plasticity. When DN-Dmp53 expression is turned on later in life (A; black: turned on at the day of eclosion; median life span 50 days; grey: always turned off; median life span 34 days; red: turned on at day 10; median life span 44 days; green: turned on at day 20; median life span 38 days) life span can still be increased, albeit to a lesser degree than in continuously expressing flies. Turning off DN-Dmp53 expression later in life leads to a shortening of life span extension (B; black: turned on at the day of eclosion; median life span 50 days; grey: always turned off; median life span 34 days; yellow: turned off at day 10; median life span 42 days; blue: turned off at day 20; median life span 45 days), with a greater effect on life span extension shortening when turned off earlier. (C) The age specific mortality rates of shifted flies revert to the shape of the control curves (either continuously-on for the turn-on experiments, or continuously-off for the turn-off experiments) approximately 15-20 days after the food switch was executed (colors as in A and B; the day of the food switch is indicated by a black arrow, the approximate day the mortality rates have reverted is indicated by colored arrows; for statistical analysis of survivorship curves please refer to Table 1).