The Drosophila adult has an intestine composed of a series of differentiated cells and tissue stem cells, all of which are similar to the mammalian intestinal cells. The aged adult intestine shows apparent characteristics such as multilayering of absorptive cells, misexpression of cell type-specific genes, and hyperproliferation of stem cells. Recent studies have revealed various gene networks responsible for progression of these aged phenotypes. The molecular mechanism for senescence of the Drosophila adult midgut and its relation with the corresponding mechanism in mammals are overviewed. In addition, a basic method for observing aged phenotypes of the midgut is described.
Keywords: AstA; Dh31; Dl; Drosophila; ISCs; Integrin; JNK; Midgut; Senescence; Upd.