Increase in the Rate of Protein Synthesis with Age in Drosophila subobscura

Abstract

EARLIER work^1,2 on the life-span of Drosophila subobscura at different temperatures, and in particular of flies transferred from one temperature to another at various ages, led to the suggestion that as flies grow older their capacity to synthesize protein declines, until ultimately they are unable to replace the protein being lost by denaturation. This suggestion has been investigated by measuring the rate at which labelled leucine is incorporated into protein in adult males at different ages and at different temperatures. A parallel investigation is being undertaken of the incorporation of labelled uracil into RNA. These investigations are still being carried out, but some preliminary results on protein synthesis at a constant temperature are reported here; they show that changes in the protein synthetic mechanism are involved in the ageing process, although not in quite the way that had been foreseen.