Intermediate leucine catabolism is associated with longevity and sustained reproduction in grasshoppers.

Kerri Conklin, Haley Peters, Morgan Tomlinson, Rebekah Sein, Jeremiah Kaplan, Gabriel Nealy, Alicia Horton, Hayat Husein, Isabella Ihemis, Connor Clark, Marshall D McCue, John Hatle

Department of Biology, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.Department of Biology, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Dietary isoleucine restriction improves metabolic health and lifespan in animal models. It is hypothesized that shifts in branched-chain amino acid catabolism drive longevity. We investigated dietary isoleucine restriction on organismal branched-chain amino acid catabolism and its association with longevity and reproduction. In two main experiments, adult female Lubber grasshoppers were assigned to a high-quality diet (Bal ile) or diets with two levels of isoleucine content (moderate isoleucine restriction [Mod ile-R] or severe isoleucine restriction [Sev ile-R]). In Experiment 2, we used a low-energy (Low Lett) group as a positive control for catabolism. In Experiment 3, we used an ad libitum lettuce (Ad Lib Lett) control to show the reproduction-longevity trade-off. Nutrient-specific, organismal catabolism was measured by tracking

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Research summary

The paper claims that dietary isoleucine restriction alters intermediate leucine catabolism, which is associated with increased longevity and sustained reproduction in grasshoppers. This is relevant because it investigates the specific metabolic mechanisms (branched-chain amino acid catabolism) underlying dietary restriction-induced lifespan extension, providing mechanistic insight into how nutrient availability regulates aging pathways in an invertebrate model.

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