Department of Biology, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Zoologisches Institut, Universitat Zurich, Winterthurerstrabe 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
Growth Regulation Laboratory, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, Post Office Box 123, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX, UK.
Reduced activity of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway increases life-span in diverse organisms. We investigated the timing of the effect of reduced IIS on life-span and the role of a potential target tissue, the fat body. We overexpressed dFOXO, a downstream effector of IIS, in the adult Drosophila fat body, which increased life-span and reduced fecundity of females but had no effect on male life-span. The role of FOXO transcription factors and the adipose tissue are therefore evolutionarily conserved in the regulation of aging, and reduction of IIS in the adult is sufficient to mediate its effects on life-span and fecundity.