Mistranslation protects against lifespan reduction due to mating in Drosophila melanogaster females

Abstract

Accurate translation of genes into proteins is critical to organism fitness, and errors in this process are usually detrimental and cause proteotoxic stress. Mistranslation occurs when the amino acid that is incorporated into the nascent polypeptide chain does not match what is dictated by the genetic code. Valine-to-serine (V→S) and threonine-to-serine (T→S) mistranslating models of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster have demonstrated a surprising, sex-specific increase in virgin female longevity. We predict that the added stressor of reproduction would eliminate this mistranslation-induced lifespan increase since females prioritize reproductive tissues over somatic tissues, and proteotoxic stress would therefore lead to higher protein damage and cell death in the soma of mated females. We measured the impact of reproduction on V→S and T→S mistranslating D. melanogaster by measuring longevity, egg laying, and fecundity. Counter to our prediction, both V→S and T→S mistranslation led to a sex-specific increase in mated female longevity compared to non-mistranslating controls. Additionally, the risk of death decreased for mated females with mistranslation, beyond the pure additive benefits of mistranslation alone. These effects could not be explained by reduced egg laying or fertilization rates in mistranslating females. Thus, we find that the added proteotoxic stress caused by mistranslation does not exacerbate the detrimental effects of reproduction and instead can ameliorate lifespan decreases due to female reproduction.