Profiling of gene expression during aging in isolated bodies of wild type vs Cdk5a-mutant Drosophila melanogaster.

To provide a consistent background for studies of the link between neurodegeneration and aging, we performed microarray-based expression profiling (Affymetrix) of RNA isolated from the bodies of adult Drosophila at various ages from either wild type flies (Oregon R), or flies bearing a null mutation of the gene encoding the Cdk5 activator (Cdk5a). Note that all flies were wild type for the chromosomal white locus due to the pleiotropic effects of the w locus on many neuronal and physiological functions of the adult fly. In order to match samples by ‘physiological age’ in the two populations, WT flies were collected at 10 days, 20 days, 41 days and 58 days after eclosion and Cdk5a flies were collected at 10, 23, and 31 days (NOTE: 41 days for WT and 23 days for Cdk5a corresponded to <10% population mortality; 58 days (WT) and 31 days (Cdk5a) corresponded to ~50% population mortality in this experiment). These samples provide a well-matched basis for identification of genes with age-dependent expression level in each of the two genotypes and for comparison of differences in expression between the genotypes. Gene expression for 42 samples representing Drosophila melanogaster body collected at 4 different ages across two different genotypes.