Activation of transposable elements during aging and neuronal decline in Drosophila

In this study, the authors show that transposable element activity increases in the Drosophila brain with advancing age. Mutating the Drosophila Argonaute 2 (Ago2) gene exacerbated age-related transposable element activity and led to impaired memory and shortened lifespan. We found that several transposable elements were highly active in Drosophila brain during normal aging. In addition, we found that mutations in Drosophila Argonaute 2 (Ago2) resulted in exacerbated transposon expression in the brain, progressive and age-dependent memory impairment, and shortened lifespan. These findings suggest that transposon activation may contribute to age-dependent loss of neuronal function.