Distinct genetic influences on locomotor senescence in Drosophila revealed by a series of metrical analyses

Decline of locomotor function is a prominent feature of aging in most species. We previously described a series of metrical analyses for quantifying functional declines associated with aging. Here, we have applied these metrics to elucidate differences in the nature of locomotor senescence between Drosophila cohorts from four different genetic backgrounds (Canton-S, Oregon-R, Samarkand and Lausanne-S) and two long-lived mutant strains, Indy²⁰⁶ and chico¹. These analyses demonstrate that senescence of locomotor function in Oregon-R and Canton-S proceeds more rapidly than in Samarkand and Lausanne-S flies. Our analyses also show that while chico¹ and Indy mutants both exhibit attenuated locomotor declines, the impact of chico loss of function on locomotor senescence is substantially greater. Our studies illustrate how important differences in functional senescence characteristics can be unveiled by in-depth analysis on functional senescence data sets.