It is known that aging is a multifactorial mechanism composed of both genetic and environmental components. The main evolutionary theories of aging are antagonistic pleiotropy and mutation accumulation, neither of which has substantial experimental support yet. In this study, the longevities of three wild type strains of Drosophila melanogaster and F1 hybrids derived from them were determined. | Turk J Biol 24 (2000) 321–329 © TÜBİTAK Longevity in Some Wild Type and Hybrid Strains of Drosophila melanogaster Şükran ÇAKIR Ankara University, Faculty of Veterinary, Department of Genetics, 06110 Ankara-TURKEY Ali Nihat BOZCUK Hacettepe University, Department of Biology, Beytepe Campus, Ankara-TURKEY Received: Abstract: It is known that aging is a multifactorial mechanism composed of both genetic and environmental components. The main evolutionary theories of aging are antagonistic pleiotropy and mutation accumulation, neither of which has substantial experimental support yet. In this study, the longevities of three wild type strains of Drosophila melanogaster and F1 hybrids derived from them were determined. Heterosis caused an increase in the adult lifespan of F1 hybrids. Key Words: Drosophila melanogaster, longevity, aging, and heterosis. Drosophila melanogaster’in Bazı Doğal Tip ve Melez Soylarında Ömür Uzunluğu Özet: Yaşlanmanın genetik ve çevresel bileşenlerden oluşan çok faktörlü bir mekanizma olduğu bilinir. Yaşlanmanın temel evrimsel teorilerinden antagonistic pleiotropy ve mutation accumulation’den hiçbiri henüz yeterli deneysel desteğe sahip değildir. Bu çalışmada Drosophila melanogaster’in üç doğal soyu ve bunlardan elde edilen F1 melezlerinde ömür uzunluğu belirlendi. F1 ergin melezlerinde melez dinçliği ömür uzunluğunda artışa neden oldu. Anahtar Sözcükler: Drosophila melanogaster, ömür uzunluğu, yaşlanma ve melez dinçliği. Introduction In all organisms, the process of aging is characterized by a gradual loss of homeostatic maintenance functions and physiological fitness. Species of the genus Drosophila, commonly known as fruit flies, are good model systems for research in aging. Drosophila are extremely well-known genetically, developmentally, and otherwise. They are also genetically analogous to mammalian species in most respects. Their life span is remarkably variable and in several respects a typical quantitative character in .
