Data from: Reproductive activity triggers accelerated male mortality and decreases lifespan: genetic and gene expression determinants in Drosophila

Reproductive and aging processes evolved to be intimately associated. Experimental selection for early-life reproduction drives the evolution of decreased longevity in fruit flies, whereas experimental selection for increased longevity leads to changes in reproduction. While life history theory offers hypotheses to explain these relationships, the genetic architecture and molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction-longevity associations remain a matter of debate. Here we show that mating triggers accelerated mortality in males and identify hundreds of genes that are modulated upon mating in the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster. Interrogation of genome-wide gene expression in virgin and recently-mated males revealed coherent responses, with biological processes that are up-regulated (testis-specific gene expression) or down-regulated (metabolism and mitochondria-related functions) upon mating. Furthermore, using a panel of genotypes from the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR) as a source of naturally-occurring genetic perturbation, we uncover abundant variation in longevity and reproduction-induced mortality among genotypes. Indeed, genotypes displayed > 4-fold variation in longevity and reproduction-induced mortality that can be traced to variation in specific segments of the genome. The data reveals an abundance of individual variation in sensitivity to reproduction and physiological processes that are enhanced and suppressed upon mating. These results raise the prospect that variation in longevity and age-related traits could be traced to processes that coordinate germline and somatic functions.

生殖与衰老过程演化形成了紧密关联的关系。对早期生殖进行实验选择，会推动果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）的寿命缩短；而对延长寿命进行实验选择，则会引发生殖相关的改变。尽管生活史理论（life history theory）已提出相关假说以解释这些关联，但生殖-寿命关联背后的遗传结构与分子机制，仍是学界争论的议题。本研究发现，交配会触发雄性果蝇的死亡率升高，并鉴定出数百个在交配后表达受到调控的基因；通过分析未交配与近期交配雄性个体的全基因组基因表达谱，我们观察到了一致性的转录响应，其中交配后上调的生物学过程包括睾丸特异性基因表达，而下调的生物学过程则涉及代谢与线粒体相关功能。此外，本研究利用果蝇合成种群资源库（Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource, DSPR）中的一系列基因型品系作为自然遗传扰动的来源，揭示了不同基因型间在寿命以及交配诱导死亡率上的丰富变异；实际上，不同基因型在寿命与交配诱导死亡率上存在超过4倍的差异，这种差异可追溯至基因组特定区段的遗传变异。本研究数据显示，个体对交配的敏感性，以及交配后被增强或抑制的生理过程，均存在大量个体间差异；本研究结果提示，寿命与年龄相关性状的变异，或可追溯至协调生殖系与体细胞功能的生物学过程。