The worse with sex, the shorter life

Flies helped scientists uncover the negative effects of "sexual hunger"

RIA NewsFruit flies that do not experience problems when choosing females and during reproduction live noticeably longer than insects with sexual problems, which allowed scientists to identify several cellular mechanisms and proteins that control the longevity of fruit flies, according to an article published in the journal Science (Drosophila life span and physiology are modulated by sexual perception and reward; for a popular retelling, see the press release of the University of Michigan Health System Fruit Flies with Better Sex Lives Live Longer - VM).

"The advanced methods of genetics and neurophysiology used in our work helped us to find out that sexual dissatisfaction really negatively affects the health of, at least, fruit flies. Long waiting and willingness to have sex without "reward" had an extremely negative impact on the health of males and significantly shortened their lives," said Scott Pletcher from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (USA).

Pletcher and his colleagues came to this conclusion by observing the work of the body and the health of several fruit flies deprived of access to females. As part of this experiment, scientists raised several males with a modified genome, whose body produced a large number of female pheromones. Due to this, the illusion of the presence of many females was created in the tank where the flies lived, which forced the males to be in constant "readiness".

Tracking changes in the vital activity of flies, scientists tried to understand what long-term sexual "hunger" leads to. It turned out that its consequences were extremely negative for fruit flies – their fat reserves were rapidly decreasing, they became sensitive to hunger and their life expectancy was noticeably reduced. Interestingly, along with this, the flies' body sharply reduced the production of the "hormone of happiness" – neuropeptide F.

According to scientists, the consequences of sexual hunger were reversible – when they released females into a jar with males, their body's work returned to normal. In their next papers, Pletcher and his colleagues will try to understand whether such an effect exists among mammals and, if confirmed, will try to find genes and cellular mechanisms associated with longevity.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru29.11.2013