Life-extending Dietary Restriction Reduces Oxidative Damage of Proteins in Grasshoppers but Does Not Alter Allocation of Ingested Nitrogen to Somatic Tissues

Dietary restriction (DR) extends life span and reduces reproduction in most animals. The disposable soma hypothesis suggests that this longevity is the result of reduced investment in reproduction and increased nutrient allocation to the soma, permitting an increase in cellular maintenance. To inves...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2017-05, Vol.72 (5), p.616-623
Main Authors: Heck, Matthew J, Pehlivanovic, Mirna, Purcell, Jennifer U, Hahn, Daniel A, Hatle, John D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging - physiology
Animal reproduction
Animals
Body Composition
Caloric Restriction
Dietary restrictions
Fat body
Femur
Grasshoppers
Hemolymph
Insects
Lactuca - chemistry
Life span
Longevity
Longevity - physiology
Mandible
Muscles
Nitrogen
Nitrogen - metabolism
Oxidation
Oxidative Stress
Protein Carbonylation - physiology
Reproduction - physiology
Tissues
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dietary restriction (DR) extends life span and reduces reproduction in most animals. The disposable soma hypothesis suggests that this longevity is the result of reduced investment in reproduction and increased nutrient allocation to the soma, permitting an increase in cellular maintenance. To investigate the role of nutrient allocation upon life-extending DR, tissue-specific nitrogen allocation was tracked in grasshoppers (Romalea microptera) upon a full or restricted (60% of full) diet. In addition, carbonyl (oxidized protein) assays addressed tissue maintenance. To develop a labeled diet on which grasshoppers could thrive, hydroponically grown Romaine lettuce was enriched with 15N. This allowed quantification of nitrogen allocation upon a normal or restricted diet. There was a 50% decrease in reproductive investment upon DR. At the same time, relative allocation of 15N to the ovary did not change. Most important, relative allocation was similar between restricted and full diet grasshoppers for somatic tissues (ie, mandibular and femur muscle, dried hemolymph, gut, and fat body). Carbonyl assays of muscles, hemolymph, and gut revealed an overall reduction in protein oxidation upon DR. These data suggest that DR does not alter nutrient allocation but does reduce protein oxidation, an observation that is inconsistent with the basic predictions of the disposable soma hypothesis.
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/glw094